The Hunter
by Dancingvictoria
Summary: A story 30 years into the future. New characters and old characters brought together to fight. It starts with a kidnapping and a quest. Confusion, happiness, tears, bravery, and of course- Hunting.
1. Constellations

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Percy Jackson, but alas, I don't.**

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><p>When Zoë died, Thalia was named Lieutenant of the Hunters. Shortly after, there was a war against the Titans. Now, only thirty years later, the Titans are stirring again. The gods say they are no big threat, but all the huntresses are in major training. Artemis said that the Hunters should always be prepared since Camp Half-blood has been getting fewer campers every year. In the latter years, Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase, along with the Satyr Grover, were claimed missing. When the news was brought upon the Huntresses, Thalia was in a short depression. She secluded herself from everyone else and was nearly taken off her duties as Lieutenant before she realized how absolutely ridiculous she was being. After that, Thalia had completely changed. She went from sarcastic and somewhat mean, to an optimistic person. Elisabeth and Celia figure that she's just trying to find a glimmer of hope that her best friends were still alive. Poseidon has been in a rotten mood ever since his favorite son had been claimed missing. He refuses to speak to anybody, even the other gods. There are storms, tsunamis and hurricanes, usually for weeks straight whenever somebody sets off his temper. It's actually quite sad once one thinks about it. Athena is incredibly worried. She, like Poseidon, doesn't speak to any of the other gods. She refuses to attend any of the meetings. The absence from both of the gods have been ultimately damaging to Olympus. There are more disagreements on little things, more than usual, without Athena to give her input. Hephaestus locked himself up in his workshop after Poseidon soaked him with his trident after Hephaestus suggested that the search for Percy and Annabeth be stopped and refuses to go to Olympus until there can be a civil meeting, which may be close to never. Hera, as weird as it is, has been the calm one. The goddess of family is almost always the one who calms down the heated gods and goddesses.<br>There are two new Hunters, named Delany and Victoria. Victoria had this fierce look about her. She never smiled, or talked for that matter. She had stunning dark gray eyes that always seemed to be on the lookout. Her dark auburn hair brought out her pale skin. She was beautiful- it was a wonder to the other Huntresses as to why she became one. She had the looks that even Aphrodite would envy. Delany looked just about the same as Victoria save for her hair and tall build. While Victoria had a short and fortified build, Delany was tall and thin build. Her wispy hair was a dark brown, making her lighter gray eyes stand out. Victoria and Delany were supposedly twins, but they weren't exactly identical.  
>There was also another new Huntress. Elisabeth Wagner had joined the Hunters of Artemis about a year ago. She was quiet and shy. She didn't have many friends besides Celia Gleidhall. The daughter of Hephaestus was only fifteen. She had made many mistakes that still follow her prior to joining the Hunters. Elisabeth felt as if she didn't belong in the Hunters, despite what her colleagues insisted. She didn't speak to anybody but her friends and the goddess herself. Somehow, she has to find her way in this world of new chaos.<br>-

Elisabeth was sitting underneath a tree reading. It was just after dusk, the stars were just starting to come up, and the Hunters were getting ready to sleep. It had always seemed that Elisabeth could just sit there and read, no matter the time. Perhaps it was some gene from Hephaestus that gave her that ability.

"Celia, are you coming?" Thalia's voice came from behind Celia seated figure.  
>"Where are you going?" Celia flinched, and then turned around to look at the black headed girl. Thalia no longer wore her <em>punk <em>clothes anymore, though she did still wear her earrings. Thalia never took them off. She tended to wear a knee-length skirt now and a lavender shirt. The skirt was usually gray or black. At the moment, she was wearing regular jeans and a flowing white shirt. Thalia's thick black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. A smirk was on her beautiful face.  
>"Artemis wanted us to find see something. I thought you would like it." Thalia's smirk grew and she had a mischievous glint in her icy blue eyes. Why is it that every time she's up to something, she seems…what's the word? Devilish? Sneaky? A mixture of both, basically.<br>"Like what? What is it?" Celia asked, confusion obviously showing in her eyes. She hated surprises, and Thalia knew that. But that didn't stop her from surprising Celia nonetheless.  
>"Oh, you know the usual. Come on, C! You'll love it. It's a surprise."<br>"Thalia… You know how I hate surprises." Celia frowned.  
>"Fine, I'll tell you if you come."<br>"Can Liz come?" Elisabeth looked up from her book and smiled. She was one of Celia's best friends besides Thalia and Opal, daughter of Demeter. Thalia had never liked Elisabeth, and usually she wouldn't be seen in the same vicinity with her. Today was an exception, though. "I guess so." Celia laughed at Thalia's somewhat-smug face.

The three girls were heading up the hill in silence when Thalia spoke up,  
>"So, Celia, can you tell me about yourself?" Celia smirked and rolled her eyes. For some reason, Thalia always asked Celia to tell her some sort of story about herself; even if she already knew everything that Celia would tell her.<br>"Why should I, Li?" Celia asked, stopping in her tracks and crossing her arms.  
>"Well," Thalia said, "I haven't heard any story of yours in ages! I think it's appropriate to tell me the story of your birth ON your birthday, am I right?" Thalia's big blue eyes looked down to Celia pleadingly. Elisabeth was snickering behind the two girls, earning a glare from Thalia. For some reason or another, Elisabeth had earned some sort of undying hate from the Lieutenant. Elisabeth raised her eyebrows and then said nothing. Celia, oblivious to the small exchange, sighed and gave in to Thalia's pleading look.<br>"Okay, okay. I give up." Celia said, "So I was born on August 12 in 1832 to my mother, Caroline, and my foster father Oliver. My real father was Apollo. I had a brother named Raymond. We grew up in England for a while, and then my father's work was transferred to Berlin. On our way over there, our ship capsized and my family died. I was only nine at the time. Artemis found me stranded…well, somewhere. I don't quite remember where. There were only nine Hunters at the time. She asked me to join, since I was a demigod. Zoë was among those nine Hunters. She wasn't a Lieutenant then, but she still had that strong personality. For some reason, she never liked me. Eh, I'm not bothered anymore. But yeah, Li are ya happy?" Celia rolled her eyes and sighed. Thalia nodded and grinned, then started up the hill again with the others following behind her.  
>Thalia planned to take Celia to see a constellation that only happened at dusk. It was Celia's 209th birthday that day. Though it seemed strange, Thalia thought it would be fun. She hadn't had much fun since Percy and Annabeth had gone missing. Gods, did Thalia miss that Kelp-Brain and Little Miss Studious. She still couldn't function right with them. As far are Thalia knew, Chiron had sent them on a quest for something, whatever it was, he didn't tell her. When Thalia had asked, Chiron just looked at her worriedly and didn't answer. She knew that Chiron knew where they were. Or at least…that's what she'd been thinking. She's been having dreams about Percy and Annabeth. They're all mixed and strange, but one thing was certain. They were always in trouble. Grover wasn't in the dreams as often, which worried her. Whenever Celia had asked Thalia about the dreams, she would just shake her head and change the subject or make up some excuse and leave.<p>

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"We're here." Thalia said. She gazed at the stars, smiling slightly and sat down on the grass. Elisabeth sat next on the ground next to her, and Celia swore she saw Thalia cringe a little bit. "Wow… it's beautiful Thalia!" Celia whispered, "Thank you." Thalia didn't look at her; she just looked at the constellation, 'The Huntress'.

A voice said from behind the girls, "Yes, it is." **  
><strong>


	2. Miracles do happen!

_A voice said from behind the girls, "Yes, it is."_  
>The girls turned around, only to see Lady Artemis. She was smiling kindly to them. "You three know the story about Zoë, don't you?" The girls nodded, Thalia bowing her head while trying not to cry about the former Lieutenant. "Ah, yes." She smiled at the stars thoughtfully. "Would you like to come to the camp now? We're sitting around that fire now. Phoebe is telling ghost stories." Thalia smiled and got up, Celia and Elisabeth following her lead. They let Artemis and Thalia go ahead of them. "You know, Celia, I get this feeling when something bad is going to happen…I don't know. This hill…it doesn't feel <em>safe." <em>Elisabeth said. She looked at her friend worriedly, "I've never liked this place. If feels too…I don't know how to explain it."  
>"Evil? Yeah, I can feel it too. But I don't want to talk about it right now. Come on. I love Phoebe's ghost stories. Race ya!" Celia smiled and then took off. Elisabeth forced a smile and ran after her friend.<p>

When they finally ended up by the campfire, they were laughing and breathing heavily. Phoebe was just finishing up her ghost story. "…And that's the story of the Unicorn!" Phoebe said. "Oh, hey Celia! Elisabeth." She waved excitedly to Celia and nodded to Elisabeth. Opal was sitting next to Phoebe and Olive, who was a nymph. Olive seemed to like the Hunters. She met them when they first came to Mount Shasta, which was in California, and stayed with them in the morning and at night. The rest of the day she spent resting. Olive and Opal smiled at Celia, who went to sit next to them and talk. Elisabeth wanted to sit with her friend, as it was her birthday, but decided against it. For some reason, she felt absolutely exhausted. The day's earlier activities always wore her out, especially the racing. She would go to sleep early. Elisabeth said good night to her friend, and then turned in for the night. She could hear the others singing 'Happy Birthday' to Celia then bursting out into laughter. When the laughter died outside, Elisabeth fell asleep. She was hoping she wouldn't have the dream again, but of course, she did. It was always the same; she was always falling. There were always screams and sirens going off around here. Children were staring at her in horror as she fell slowly towards the ground. Her mother and step-father lain before her as she fell. Then her mother would slowly turn to see her and she would open her eyes. Her eyes weren't normal, though. They were pure white. She would say Elisabeth's name then say 'your fault, daughter. It is your entire fault.' She never got to find out what would happen next, as she would always wake up after that in a cold sweat. The dream happened whenever she fell asleep.  
>She got up and looked in the mirror. A girl with brown hair stared at her. She had green eyes, they were almost clear. A scar in the shape of a "λ" just about covered her left eye. The scar was a reminder of what she had done before she became a Hunter. She had always been ashamed of it.<p>

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Victoria was having a staring contest with Phoebe. Phoebe kept laughing and lost. "Did you hear Elisabeth screaming again?" She asked Victoria, whose eyes gleamed. "It's weird…it happens every time something bad will happen. I don't know, what do you think, Victoria?" Victoria shrugged. She never actually talked. Thalia thinks that she and Delany are daughters of Nemesis. They could be, but they never talk, so no one would know. Artemis likes them a lot. She said that they only spoke when they wanted to speak, which apparently was never. Everybody knows that they aren't shy. They don't even hesitate when fighting. They could run fast, too. "Ugh, Tori. You're like worthless! TALK, jeez. It's like talking to a pinecone." She heard some offended whispers from the trees. "Sorry, I take that back." The others giggled at Phoebe's red face. Victoria raised her eyebrow and smiled. "SHE SMILES! Oh my gods! It's a miracle!" Phoebe yelled to the sky, which made the others laugh even more. "What now? Do I have something on my skirt…?" Victoria shook her head and smiled. "Oh, gods. Who cursed you to be HAPPY today? I can't believe it."  
>Opal rolled her eyes and said, "Pheebs, she's always happy. How could you miss it? She doesn't talk, but she's happy a lot." <em>Especially when she kicks my butt in archery...<br>_"Sorry for my non-noticing, mother." Phoebe replied.  
>"Phoebe, I don't think non-noticing is a word. It should be 'Sorry for not noticing, Opal.' And mocking my mother is NOT nice." Opal made a 'humph' sound and went by the trees to talk to Olive.<br>"Hi Opal," Elisabeth said from behind the tree. She was reading her book again. "I saw you and Phoebe having some sort of…err, argument again." She closed her book and looked at Opal.  
>"Not really. It was just joking around, you know." Elisabeth nodded.<br>"Just a short question… Do you think that I don't belong here?" Opal stared at the girl in shock. The daughter of Demeter didn't know how to answer for once.  
>"I…I...yes, you do. We're family! Every family has their ups and downs, like my mother said. But you can still make yourself known, ya know? Talk to people. René is nice and so is Penny. You'll make good friends, I bet. But try a little, why don't you?" Opal straightened her shirt and skirt.<br>"Hah…yeah. I should do that." Elisabeth said, "Do you know where Celia is, by any chance? I need to ask her something." Opal looked confused for a moment and then told Elisabeth where she was. Elisabeth said her thanks and ran off. She needed to tell Celia about the dream, she just had to. It was something that had been bothering her for, well, forever.

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Elisabeth came running up to Celia breathing heavily. She was walking along the trees, trying to blend in. Celia's eyes were set on a hellhound. It had noticed her. Celia tightened her grip on the arrow and released just as the hellhound lunged. The hellhound whimpered then turned to dust.

"Nice shot," Elisabeth commented. Celia screamed then turned around.

"Dude, don't DO that! Especially when I'm in Hunter mode; I could have killed you. Jeez, Lizzie."

"But…I thought we're immortal." Elisabeth said in her 'innocent' voice. "Besides, my father crafted those arrows. He wouldn't have them kill me." She smiled as Celia rolled her eyes.

"So young…so little you know. And you're wrong, by the way. So, what did you want to know? Other than how to scare the FREAK out of me!" She sat down on the mossy grass and crossed her legs and waited for Elisabeth to finish telling her about her dream. Celia sat in silence when Elisabeth was done.

"I wonder…" Celia muttered to herself. "Liz, of all the people, I don't think I'm the one who can solve this. Maybe you should tell Artemis. She's a goddess, and all. It's just-" Elisabeth hugged her, not caring if her friend had absolutely forbidden her to do so. Celia winced as she saw Elisabeth's past. Whenever somebody had touched her, she saw their past before her. Apollo could see the future, and Celia could see the past. That was the gift Apollo had given Celia when she was born, not a sword or a bow and arrow. He told her it would come in handy one day. It was annoying; no doubt about it but it was unique.

"It feels good to finally tell somebody…" Elisabeth said while releasing Celia. Celia swayed for a moment, a side effect that had always happened, and forced a smile.

"Come on, you. Let's ask Artemis about it. Surely she'll know." Celia started walking towards the camp with Elisabeth behind her, when she looked over her shoulder and said, "I thought I had told you, but never _ever _touch me again."


	3. Captured

"…I wonder what it's like to be a god." Phoebe thought aloud. Opal rolled her eyes, "Well good luck with that. Just don't turn into Apollo or Artemis will kill you." Phoebe gasped and ran away from Opal without another word to a tree up on the hill. That was something new. Usually Phoebe has something to say. Opal laughed and followed her friend. "Phoebe, for a daughter of Athena you aren't so wise." Opal smirked.  
>"Oh, eat you cereal, Opal. You're absolutely horrid." Phoebe looked up from the grass and grinned cheekily up at her best friend.<br>"Okay, I'm sorry." She held up her hands in surrender. She had a few strands of reddish-orange hair covering her face, which she pulled back. Her green eyes sparkled with silent laughter and she smiled. "Jeez. Pheebs, you're hopeless."

"I'd rather be hopeless than horrid." She grinned again than turned around, only to bump into a hard chest. "Hey there, Mr. Buff? Mind moving?" She rolled her eyes and slowly looked up. "HOLY-"

Darkness.

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_They were almost to camp when they saw a shadow cross before them. They had been a little disoriented, but shook it off and continued. Exactly a minute later they heard a scream; it sounded almost doubled, as if somebody else was screaming. _

Celia winced, "Elisabeth, did you hear that scream? It sounded like Phoebe." She looked at Elisabeth with worried eyes. Elisabeth nodded. She had heard it too.

"Forget my dream. I can deal with it later. It wasn't that special anyways. Run! There's somebody here." Without a word Celia ran after Elisabeth. She readied her bow, just in case. When they got to the camp, it was silent and empty. The air was cold for a spring's day, as if the winds were mourning a loss. Mist (no, not the magical kind) was covering the ground. Distantly they heard voices saying, 'where are they?' or 'let's look back at the camp.' They were looking for them! The others must've thought that Celia and Elisabeth were the ones that had gotten lost. The girls looked at each other and then ran after the voices. They had to find somebody-anybody- and tell them that they were fine.

Naturally, the Hunters were scattered. Thalia and Victoria were in a tree with their bows readied. They tensed when they saw two shadows coming towards them. "Get ready, Victoria." Thalia murmured to the girl. Victoria nodded. As the shadows got bigger, Thalia got tenser.  
>"Thalia?" Celia's voice said. Thalia looked down and almost laughed with relief. She motioned for Victoria to come down, but she didn't. She shook her head and looked towards the sky, as if she was waiting for something. Storm clouds were already forming above their heads and Victoria didn't like the looks of it.<br>"Celia, what happened? Where are Phoebe and Opal?" Thalia asked confusedly. Elisabeth and Celia looked at each other, eyes wide. "You don't mean…" Thalia began, but when she saw the girls faces, she knew, or at least, she had a feeling, Phoebe and Opal were gone. Not only that, but something was out there. Thoughts ran throughout Thalia's brain. How was she supposed to be a good Lieutenant if she couldn't even help save her own Hunters? Artemis would surely fire her. Thalia hadn't been paying attention to any of the other Hunters- in fact she had been sleeping when she was awoken by a strangled scream. She didn't have much time to react before Victoria came into her tent breathing heavily.  
>"Someone…Somebody's here. Phoebe. Opal. They're missing." Thalia looked at the girl incredulously; surely this cannot be true! It hadn't even dawned on her that Victoria had even spoken.<br>"Please tell me that you're-" Thalia didn't finish her sentence. She saw the look in Victoria's eyes. Thalia stood up, grabbed her bow and arrows and ran outside with Victoria trailing behind her. The camp was empty, but one could hear the hushed whispers from behind bushes and up in the trees. She knew that if she looked up into the dark, twinkling sky, she'd see a few young girls hiding in the trees with bows at the ready. Thalia smirked; she'd made up that plan.  
>"C'mon Victoria, let's go down the path. Maybe we'll see some of ours." Victoria didn't question her, she just followed. Halfway down the path, they heard distant yells and the sound of running. Panicking, Thalia dragged Victoria up a tree. The branches hit her face, but Thalia didn't care. All she cared about was finding out who the hell was behind this. As the voices drew nearer, Thalia and Victoria tensed. The rest is history.<p>

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"I hate this. I hate this, I HATE THIS." Thalia paced back and forth, thinking. The Hunters were watching her with glum faces. They were waiting for Lady Artemis to come back from the moon chariot. "Artemis should back by now." Thalia muttered to herself while she continued pacing. Her Lieutenant headband shined brightly in the darkness of the night. "Watch us probably have to go back to _Camp._" Diana whispered to her friend next to her, who nodded. Thalia ignored them and kept pacing and muttering unintelligible things.  
>"Thalia, where IS Artemis?" Celia asked. Thalia stopped pacing and stared at the huntress. "Celia, if I knew, I would tell you. All I know is that she said she would be back an hour ago from her duties." Thalia scratched her arm and thought. Her icy blue eyes sparkled and her pale skin seemed to get even paler, if that was possible.<br>"Rest. I'll think of something. Try to get a good night's sleep. When Lady Artemis comes, no doubt about it, we'll be going back to Camp Half-Blood." The Hunters groaned, but got up and went to bed. Some muttered night to Thalia; some went to their tents wordlessly. Only Celia and Elisabeth stayed.  
>"Why are you two still here?" Thalia questioned irritably. She'd been in a rotten mood since she had woken up from her nap. Since Thalia had found out about attacks. She sat between the two and rested her head on her hands. "Never mind, don't answer that." She lifted her head and looked at the stars. They twinkled slightly. In between, the moon was glowing dimly- as if Artemis knew what had happened that night. "How can it be so beautiful on a night like this?" The Lieutenant whispered to nobody in particular, and then put her head between her hands again. Celia patted the back of her friend, slightly wincing, and said, "It'll be okay, Thalia. We'll find them." Thalia shook her head and muttered something.<br>)))))))))((((((((((

_ She had failed them. Both of them. All of her friends seemed to be disappearing. Was this a punishment? Who was going to be next? Celia or Elisabeth? Or would it be Victoria? No, Victoria was strong. She could kill anybody she wanted. She could most definitely fend for herself. First it was Percy and Annabeth. Then it was Grover. Now it's Phoebe and Opal.  
>Percy and Annabeth were dead. She couldn't do anything to save them. Her dreams meant absolutely nothing. They were just images that Morpheus put into her head to give her worthless hope. Yeah. That was what it was. Worthless hope. Grover…he was out there somewhere. Searching for them, though he knew it was hopeless. He would never see his green-eyed buddy who called him 'G-Man' or Annabeth; whom he had known since Annabeth was eight. Thalia wanted nothing more than to see all three of them. She longed for her old friends again. That wasn't going to happen, though. It was worthless even thinking about it. Nothing but worthless hope.<em>

"Thalia Grace," Lady Artemis' voice from outside her tent. Thalia was pulled from her thoughts with a start, and then walked slowly to the opening in her tent.  
>"May I come in?"<br>Hastily, Thalia nodded and stepped aside as the goddess came in and sat. "I heard about Phoebe and Opal" she said.  
>Thalia hung her head and whispered, "I'm a failure, aren't I? I didn't even sense it. I should've done something…but I just couldn't." The goddess shook her head.<p>

"Thalia, you're _human. _Every human makes mistakes. You cannot be flawless. I forgive you for making that mistake. Just be wary about your surroundings. You've got that alertness that makes you such a great Lieutenant. Don't lose it. Anyway, I've already Iris Messaged Chiron. We'll arrive tomorrow by dusk at Camp. Try not to hurt yourself by then. I know you feel guilt, as do I, but we'll find them. I should have been around, but alas, I wasn't. It wasn't your fault, Thalia. Remember that." Artemis got up from her seat and smiled at Thalia, though it seemed a little forced. "And I promise I won't leave you again for so long." With that, the goddess left the girl once again alone in her thoughts. For the first time in a long while, Thalia sat down and wept.

Slowly, Thalia fell asleep. Her thoughts kept her awake for awhile before she'd realized how tired she was. For once, though it was unusual, she had a regular dream. It was like something out of an old video camera. Percy, Annabeth and she were on the beach in Camp Half-Blood. It was just after she had become alive again; after she had stopped being a tree. They were talking and laughing about regular teen stuff. Annabeth had filled her in on the new inventions of the century so far. Percy was skipping a rock and laughing as Annabeth made another joke about the iPhone. The screen flickered and she woke up. She looked at her watch. She'd only been asleep for ten minutes. Figures; that'd be the most sleep she'd have for two days.

_Those were the days, my friends.  
>I wish they'd never end.<em>

"Go away Morpheus. You're not making anything easier," she muttered to herself as she brushed away her black hair that had covered her face. She opened her tent and walked over to a tree and sat down. The clouds up above were now a dark black, threatening to fall at any second now. Thalia sighed impatiently and rested her head between her hands. She rubbed her temples trying to get rid of her migraine.

"Thalia, you're thinking _way _much," a squeaky voice said. Thalia looked up at Olive and smiled weakly. Olive sat next to Thalia and looked at her. "So, I guess you'll be leaving me here, ay?" She asked.  
>Thalia nodded, "Sorry Olive. But you probably heard about Phoebe and Opal…It was Lady's orders. I'll miss you, though," she trailed off as Olive nodded.<br>"I know, Thalia. I heard Phoebe scream. Word from the trees is that Kronos is back." Olive looked glum while she stared at the grass and absentmindedly played with it. Thalia nodded; she'd figured, but once it had been confirmed, Thalia felt like punching something. Thalia muttered something to Olive and walked off hurriedly.

That night, the Hunters and their goddess packed up their camp and left for New York in an awkward silence. Nobody spoke except for when Lady Artemis gave the girls directions. It had started to downpour on the girls. Some complained about being tired and soaked, but Lady Artemis pretended that she didn't hear them. Sometimes they raced and Delany would almost always win with Elisabeth close behind her. By the time the Hunters reached Half-Blood Hill the next day, they were exhausted, parched and starved. They couldn't be happier to be at the wretched Camp.

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><p><strong>I kinda like this chapter, so I hope you do to!<strong>

**I'll try to get the next chapter up by either tomorrow or Wednesday. My life is consumed by school and drama and all that jazz. **

**Review~!**

**-Vikki**


	4. Would you join the Hunters?

A little girl was playing with a boy at Camp Half-Blood. She had curly blond hair and green-gray eyes. Literally. Her left eye was stormy gray and her right eye was blue-green. She was only eleven; one of the youngest in Camp. The boy had black hair and sea-green eyes. He was only nine years old. And he, like the girl, was a year rounder. Their parents were old-time friends, but they were both 'missing' or at least, that's what Chiron said.

"You lose, Percy!" the girl giggled. The boy went by the name of 'Percy', though his name was Dmitri. Chiron made a mistake when he had first came to Camp. He thought that Dmitri was Percy Jackson, because he'd thought that he looked so much like him, not to mention that he was also a son of Poseidon. It was a common mistake. After a small giggling fit from Dmitri, he told him that he wasn't Percy Jackson but that he'd gotten that a lot. Nonetheless, the nickname 'Percy' stuck with him.  
>"Don't I always lose? I blame 'Athena…" Percy mumbled and crossed his arms. As the boy pouted, the girl laughed and smiled.<br>"Percy, do you always have to be a sore-loser?" She smiled even wider as Percy nodded.  
>"Min, do you always have to be a sore-winner?" Percy stuck his tongue out at his friend. The girl laughed and hugged him.<br>"C'mon. Let's eat. I'm starved after beating you." The girl giggled and dragged Percy along to the pavilion. "And I can sit with the Poseidon cabin today, by the way. I finally talked Chiron into letting me switch from Athena to Poseidon every other day. That way you won't have to be alone!" Percy laughed at his friend's enthusiasm and got into line. "For Poseidon." He murmured. His friend said, "To Poseidon, Athena and my parents… where ever you are."  
>They both walked over to their table and talked. Percy was having three waffles for breakfast and some orange juice.<br>The two were talking as usual. Percy was nibbling on his waffle as his friend kept talking about her parents and other camp drama. Min was going on about how the Ares cabin had pranked the Apollo cabin again when the hall turned silent. A moment later, about nine people, all girls, came into the hall. They were all between the ages of ten and sixteen. They each wore jeans and silver jackets except for two people. There was a girl with black hair that was wearing a grey skirt and lavender top with a sparkling silver crown. The girl beside her, who looked about twelve, wore something like the other girl.

"Who…?" Percy began, but then he stopped himself. He knew who they were. They were the Hunters of Artemis.  
>The one leading the girls looked at Percy's friend for a moment, and then spoke up, her voice clear and sharp, "What is your name, young lady?" Percy looked at the girl. Her blue-green eyes were wide and filled with anxiety. For once, the little girl couldn't speak.<p>

"M-Minerva Jackson, daughter of Percy and Annabeth Jackson. Granddaughter of Poseidon and Athena."

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Artemis nodded and looked over the girl. She whispered something to her Lieutenant, and then walked out of the pavilion. The other girls watched in silence as the goddess walked out, and then sat down at their table and started talking instantly. Some girls looked exhausted and about to pass out. Others looked like they'd rather be anywhere but in the Camp. Nobody could blame them, they never visited. Whenever they did, there was always some sort of fight.

There were some whispers from the Aphrodite cabin, most of the girls were looking over at the Hunters with looks of disgust on their faces, and then turned to join back into the gossip. Percy looked at Minerva with worry.

"Min, would you ever join the Hunters?" he whispered.  
>"Never. I couldn't…" Minerva trailed off. Immortality did sound nice, now that she thought about it, to spend time with a goddess 247and to talk to Aunty Thalia every day and ask her about her parents. Then again… she would have to leave her friends that she's known since she was seven. She couldn't leave them. She couldn't leave Mr. Serious Percy or Ferd the Satyr ever. As much as she likes taking adventures, she couldn't bear the thought of killing anything- monster or human. Minerva looked around and spotted the black hair of someone she recognized.

"Percy, I'll be right back…okay?" She smiled and then ran off to talk to Thalia. "Thalia!"

Thalia looked up and said, "Long time no see, Min. What's up?" She smiled, but for once she didn't look happy to see her.

"Oh, you know, the normal Camp Half-Blood stuff, guy problems. The Apollo cabin got mad at me because…you know. I like suck at archery." The other girls at the table giggled. "What? Did I say something?" She looked innocently at the girls. "Anyways, why are you guys here?"

Thalia told Minerva the story about Phoebe and Opal. The eleven year old nodded and then hugged Thalia. In her eyes, Thalia was like a big sister to her. She loved Thalia almost as much as her parents, because nobody could top her parents. She loved her even more because Thalia had actually known her parents. She really liked her for that.  
>"Thalia, are you staying longer than two days? I really, <em>really <em>miss you. And I need to ask you something important," Minerva said. She looked at the faces of the Hunters and recognized almost every one; all except for two. She guessed they were Delany and Victoria. She smiled at them, but they didn't smile back. Victoria stared at her food blankly. It looked untouched. Delany looked like she was about to fall asleep. Neither of the two girls looked at the younger girl.  
>"Actually, Min, I think we may be staying much longer than two days. At least until Opal and Phoebe are found." Minerva nodded and walked away.<p>

"You know Phoebe and Opal, right Percy?" Minerva said as she slid next to Percy.

"Yes. I also remember Artemis." He trembled at the thought of jackalopes. He had had a bad history with Artemis, and, well. Let's just say that she wasn't quite so fond of him and that he had made her mad…once. Just once. "Bad times…I can still feel the fur." He murmured to himself. Minerva laughed.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad! You made a cute jackalope." She giggled. "Yeah…uh. Back to the story about Phoebe and Opal. They got taken by Kronos. That's why the Hunters are here. So that means we get to endure Artemis till they're found!"

Percy groaned, but really he was thinking of possibilities- If Kronos was back would there be a third war against the Titans and would they win? The camp had gone down during the thirty years and there was no reason behind this. It could be because the gods haven't been to earth as much, but that made no difference. Monsters weren't attacking as often. Camp protection had gone down and the campers would be really unprepared. For all they knew, the whole demigod race could demolish after this war. That is, if it actually happened.

Suddenly, Percy got up and walked away from his breakfast. Minerva sat there and watched him walk away. It took a few moments, but she caught up to him.  
>"Hey, Mr. Serious, Why are you in such a hurry? You just bolted out of there. Why?" Minerva said as she caught her breath. Boy was he fast.<p>

"It's Kronos. The fact that you said…that you said he was back," he turned away from her, "there will be another war, Min. If he was able to take two fully trained Hunters, then who knows what will happen… Minerva. Thirty-five years ago, your parents fought in the second Titan war. Both of our parents did, you know that. Forty demigods came to fight; only about ten came back alive. Minerva, I'm younger than you, and even I understand. There aren't many campers here anymore, Min. Each of the cabins has a minimum of five are in each. The cabin with the most has about fourteen in it. It's terrifying if you think about it. We cannot take this lightly. I know that we're young, but we should be ready. And we're not. We need to talk about this to Chiron. He may know about this, who knows what the trees've said. But you can never be too careful, right Min? Are you coming or not?"

The girl nodded her head and waited for her friend to start walking. She didn't want to go in alone. The Big House had always scared her. It was smelly- it smelled like rotten grapes. Percy moved on and she followed beside him in silence. It was the longest walk to the Big House she had ever taken.

**Hello Hello again! Long time no see, sorrryy!**

**I have the next chapter ready, but I'm going to make some tweaks. I'll probably have it up by tomorrow.**

**Reviews would be nice!**


	5. Juniper

"Liz, that's Percy." Celia had said, nodding to the boy who was walking with a blond girl out of the pavilion.  
>"Percy Jackson?" Elisabeth said stupidly. Really, she was half asleep when she said that. They had spent the night before travelling across the country. Practically all the Huntresses were exhausted. All she wanted to do was cuddle up in a warm bed and sleep for eternity.<p>

Celia shook her head and laughed, "No, silly! His name is Dmitri, but everybody calls him Percy. It was because Chiron had mistaken him as Percy Jackson. And no, he is not a son of Percy and Annabeth. Minerva, the girl with the blond hair, is. That's why she has two different eye colors. Yeah, you probably get it now. Let's go! I wanna see this place again. I haven't been here in gods know how long. I bet you five drachma Juniper is still here. We'll chat for a while, and then come back for that meeting thing." Celia practically ran outside the hall with Elisabeth trailing behind her sleepily.

Juniper was a wood nymph who dated a satyr. She was part of the 'originals' here. The 'Originals' meaning they were alive during the second Titan war. She had fought for the Camp while it was being invaded. Juniper was well-respected, but none of the campers really visited her. She was said to be shy nowadays by other campers.

The two girls saw Juniper by Zeus' Fist, a bunch of rocks mashed together. Moss was covering the stones, and it smelled of weeds and other plants. She wore a green chiton and sandals, and her amber hair was pulled back. She was sitting back against the trees with a blank look. When she heard Celia trip over a branch and Elisabeth laugh loudly, she turned to them and began laughing too.

"Celia! Elisabeth! What are you guys doing here?" She said excitedly. She smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and looked at both the girls. Celia looked grumpy because her foot was still hurting, while Elisabeth looked quizzical. How did Juniper know her name? Surely she hadn't remembered her…

As if reading Elisabeth's thoughts, Juniper answered, "Yes Elisabeth, I remember you. You were the girl who ran away, right?" Elisabeth nodded, remembering her now. She had been dating Grover Underwood before Percy, Annabeth and he had gone missing. Juniper was always kind to her and it seemed that she had understood her more than anybody else in the camp did. Elisabeth hadn't thought about Juniper all that much since she'd ran away, and now she regretted it. Juniper was her only friend when she was a child, and she hadn't as much as said goodbye when she left…

"So, what are you guys doing here?" She asked, interrupting Elisabeth's thoughts. Elisabeth groaned, and then told Juniper. Celia cut in a little bit, but otherwise left the story telling to Elisabeth. By the time Elisabeth had finished, everybody was quiet. Juniper wouldn't make eye contact, and appeared to be in deep thought. Finally, she looked up, "You know, you're never alone. You could always visit me." Juniper said. Celia nodded and smiled, then hesitated.

"We, honestly, need to talk to you more." Celia said, "Just not right now. We have to-"

"We do! Oh, my…Grover visited me awhile ago. He found P-"

Celia shook her head, and checked her watch, "Juniper, I'm terribly sorry. But I think that we must go. I'm glad that we caught up. We'll visit again before we leave!" Celia looked at Elisabeth and nodded, and turned around and began to walk quickly away from the Dryad.  
>"But, wait! Grover! He found him! He knows where he is!" Juniper called after them. Elisabeth turned around and gave her a look of sadness, "I'm sorry, but we have to go. Lady's orders," she said.<br>Juniper gulped back a cry, but nodded. "I know you must go. But I need to tell you something. Must you leave so suddenly?" Celia stopped, and turned around. "Percy Jackson. He's been found. Alive," Juniper said hurriedly, as if she was worried that they would cut her off. "Grover, he's coming back with him! They're all fine! The originals will be normal again, and I won't be alone," Juniper sniffled. Chlorophyll tears started pouring down. Celia nodded, and took Elisabeth's hand.  
>"Elisabeth, we have to go!" she said. Celia turned around and started running with Elisabeth. The two girls heard Juniper yell good bye, but were in too much of a rush to acknowledge it. When they finally got to the amphitheater, Celia sighed and said, "Wait. Liz, did Juniper say that they found Percy Jackson? Or was I just hallucinating?" Elisabeth shook her head, "How's that possible? It's been years. Wouldn't Poseidon stop sending tsunamis? Japan is already destroyed, as is Christchurch in New Zealand. Wouldn't he be the first one to know that his favorite son has been found rather than a nymph in some camp?" Celia nodded. The two sat down at their table of Hunters.<br>"What if Poseidon doesn't know? Perhaps Grover is the only one who knows how Percy and Annabeth are doing besides themselves. I'm about to just go up to Chiron and demand he tell us where they are," Elisabeth said. Celia nodded and was about to say something when Lady Artemis spoke up.


	6. Sinclair

Phoebe was scared. She was hurt, alone and felt disgusting. Her arms were bent strangely from the way the chains held her. She couldn't stand up or sit. All she was able to do was lay on her back with her arms hanging from the chains. It hurt, and she was sure that both her arms were dislocated. She hadn't been able to move since she had been taken to the wretched place. Sometimes Phoebe would get food from the workers there, but stale bread and dirty water was the only thing she had received. The other times, the workers didn't even come down. Phoebe couldn't stand being in the cramped cell anymore. She wanted to either get out or give up. The quiet was slowly making her insane. It was dark and it smelled of stale blood. It was probably from the previous prisoner there. Kronos could probably care less about tidiness. He wanted to capture, interrogate, and then kill or enslave. Phoebe wasn't positive that that was true, but it was her theory. She was waiting to be taken away by whoever came. It didn't matter to her. For all Phoebe cared, it could be her horrible Mother, and she'd be happy. Then again, when was the last time that her Mother actually had ever helped her? The last time Phoebe had heard from her mother was when she had joined to Hunters. Even then, it wasn't a happy meeting. Athena was yelling at Phoebe for giving up her life. Phoebe found it hypocritical, since her mother was supposedly a maiden goddess. She'd thought that Athena was supposed to be smart, apparently she was wrong. Phoebe wanted nothing to do with her mother, but at that moment she could've done with anybody.

Phoebe grunted. Her arms had decided to hurt again and she couldn't stretch them. It wasn't painful as much as annoying. She wanted to move…To stretch.

She missed running.

She missed the sunshine.

She missed her friends laughing at her ghost stories.

She missed Artemis and Thalia.

She missed when Apollo visited and Artemis' face would glow bright red.

She missed seeing Elisabeth sitting by a tree late at night reading a book. Gods, Phoebe was rotten to Elisabeth. She was rotten to a lot of the Hunters besides Opal.  
>Opal…her best friend had also been taken away. She didn't know how her friend was doing; she hadn't seen her since they had been taken away. Phoebe felt guilty for wanting to give up. She had her friend to look after, even if she couldn't exactly 'look' after her. She was going to be strong. It wasn't her life that she had to look after, it was Opal's. She had to get out of these stupid cuffs now, or else she really would give up. As soon as she thought that, she shook it away. Phoebe couldn't do that. She was a Hunter. Hunter's don't give up. Hunters fight, and gods-dammit that was what she was going to do. She would wait until Kronos' cronies came to give her the slop and then she'd try to find a way out. Maybe if she tried to sit up…no, that wouldn't work. She'd already tried. Gods, stupid Kronos, why'd he have to come back from bloody Tartarus anyway? He ruined everything.<br>Phoebe groaned and tried to inch her back against the wall to sit. After a few agonizing moments or minutes, it finally worked. Phoebe could hear her back crack as it repositioned itself. Gross, gross, gross, Phoebe thought to herself. Step one- Sit up- finished. She smiled a little to herself before trying to wriggle her small hands around so they weren't facing toward the cement ceiling.

When that worked, Phoebe felt like laughing out loud. Surely it couldn't be this easy, right? Not that she was complaining, she was as happy as she could be in a time like this, she was surprised. She was about to try to stand up and test out her legs when her door opened and she heard a scream that sounded like a man's voice. Phoebe wanted to go out and investigate, but couldn't. She just had to be held back by the stupid cuffs. One of Kronos' cronies was outside her cell door. The bright white light streamed in and made her squint. She tried to see who it was, but didn't recognize her. She wasn't the usual person who brought Phoebe her food. It was somebody else. From what Phoebe could see, the woman had short blonde hair tied up in a bun behind her head. She had pale skin and big eyes, whatever color they were, Phoebe couldn't see them from where she was. The woman stared at Phoebe with speculating eyes- as if she were wondering about what she was going to do. Phoebe tensed as the woman stepped into her cell and took off her handcuffs. She wanted to say something, ask her what the hell the wordless woman was doing, but she decided against it. Her wrists were free, she could actually feel them. It felt like a miracle! Maybe the lady was a rebel and wanted to help out Phoebe. _  
>Or maybe she just wants to take you to be interrogated by Mr. Baddy,<em> Phoebe thought.  
>She wanted to complain when the woman took her away from her cell.<p>

She wanted to complain about how dull everything was in the hallway. The white made her eyes hurt. It was too bright compared to being in darkness all the time. She wanted to break away from the woman, find Opal and get the hell out of this place.

She wanted to complain, complain, and complain.

But she didn't, she just kept quiet.

The woman took her up to the second floor. It was a lot of exercise, considering Phoebe hadn't moved for about five days. Her back and legs were starting to ache, but she didn't complain. Be strong and tell nobody anything, Phoebe thought. She wasn't going to speak or break eye-contact with whoever asked her anything. She was going to go through with whatever will happen just like Opal surely did. The lady and Phoebe finally ended up at a large wooden door. The lady knocked twice and then stepped inside the room.

The room had dark purple curtains along all five windows. Books lined up along shelves. If Phoebe hadn't been so scared, Phoebe would've been obsessed. She loved books. There was a wooden desk in the middle of the room- was it a library? Phoebe didn't know, and she didn't have to because a couple moments later, she had noticed that the woman was gone and she was alone with Mr. Sinclair. Sinclair was the one who had kept her locked up. He had a gray goatee, dark green eyes, and his hair was graying. Phoebe hated him. When she had come here, he had taken one look at her and spit in her direction. After that, he didn't visit her. Not that she was complaining, because Phoebe could easily do without that wretched man. Sinclair was this spoiled old man who did nothing but destroy. Kronos had put him in charge of everything that had to do with captives, and dear gods, did Sinclair do that. He liked torture and everything else to do with torture.  
>Sinclair took a seat behind the desk and studied Phoebe for a moment before looking down. She could see his black eyes twitching before looking up at her. He smirked before saying, "Hello Phoebe, how are you today?" Phoebe glared at him before sitting down in the wooden chair in front of the desk without breaking eye contact. She didn't bother answering; she knew that he wouldn't care. All she wanted was for him to get on with his stupid questions and then get out.<br>"Ah, you're a talkative one aren't you?" chided Sinclair, "We'll wait for your little friend to come here and then we'll begin." Phoebe sucked in her breath and waited. Sinclair didn't say anything else; he stared at her with a weird look. She tried to not notice, but couldn't help it. He kept looking her up and down, sometimes stopping at her breasts. Phoebe wanted to smack the disgusting man, and was about to when the door opened and two new figures came inside.  
>Sinclair smiled, "Hello dears, nice of you to join me."<p> 


	7. I win!

Percy was angry. Chiron didn't listen to him; in fact he had acted as if the nine year old was speaking Latin. All the horseman did was stare at him with eyes that were almost mocking the young boy and saying that he didn't care at all wordlessly. Instantly, Percy lost respect for his teacher. He had confided in Chiron hoping that he would help or at least tell him that he already knew what was happening with Kronos. Instead he gave him some words that he didn't understand, "Time will only tell what will happen, young one. Patience." If Percy had wanted a riddle, he would've gone to a sphinx! Percy hated when people were vague. He hated it with a passion. Why is it so hard to say everything right to the point? Surely it wouldn't kill you.

Percy grumbled angrily and continued pacing in his cabin. Minerva had witnessed the meeting with Chiron, but hadn't said anything. She was also surprised at Chiron's reaction, but she wasn't as mad as Percy was.

Minerva was sitting on her cot on the floor. She had been watching Percy pace ever since they had come back. Percy's black hair was messier than usual. His green eyes sparkled in rage. He looked ready to explode. Minerva had never seen her friend act like this before… she'd never seen his temper in general- he was never angry.

"Perce, he already knew about Kronos. That's why the Hunters are here," she said, "I admit, Chiron was acting strange today. He probably has enough to stress about. Please don't hate him." Percy stopped pacing and stared at his friend incredulously. Not hate him? Why in Tartarus' name not? For all he cared, Chiron could deal with the stress. He hoped that the stress exploded Chiron's oversized brain. Percy knew that he was only nine years old. Percy also knew that Chiron was supposed to be one of the best trainers in the world. If Chiron was the person that Percy knew to be, then he wouldn't have completely disregarded him!

"You think I hate him, Min? Maybe I do. How dare he completely ignore me? How dare he act as if I'm just a stupid demigod who worries too much? If he doesn't remember, HE was the one who mistook me as Percy Jackson when I'm clearly not! I'm just Dmitri Malik, some descendent of Poseidon. I'm not even a real demigod. So why respect me? Oh wait," Dmitri glared at the trident next to his bed, "nobody does… because I'm just Dmitri Malik, a pathetic nine year old boy without any parents and without an identity."

Minerva felt like crying. Her friend had never complained about his nickname or spoke of his parents around her. Had she known, she wouldn't have continued calling him Percy. She and the boy had become friends because they were alike. Minerva's parents were somewhere…the boy's parents were dead. She knew that his parents had died in a car crash while returning from a yearly ball. Dmitri's parents were lawyers and knew many people. His father was the son of Poseidon, which made his a quarter-blood. Dmitri had been left with his grandparents, whom he had stayed with for a month or two, before heading off to camp. Minerva had already been staying at camp for a summer before the new boy had come to Camp Half-Blood. Chiron had put her in charge of showing Percy all the cabins and everything. They became instant friends and shared everything with each other. Apparently everything wasn't exactly 'everything'…

"Per-I mean Dmitri, you're not pathetic. Age has nothing to do with anything. You should know that. Just because Chiron was rude one time doesn't mean anything. If you don't recall, he did say something about patience. He DOES know about Kronos! I know that he was very vague, and I know that you hate that more than you hate flying. Take time to calm down and think about what he did say, though. You have to just relax. C'mon. Let's go sailing. We both love that."

When Dmitri didn't answer, and Minerva grew anxious that she'd done something wrong. She almost didn't notice the small nod from him. Minerva stood up and embraced her best friend.

"Let's go now, goofy," Minerva smiled up at her friend. Dmitri grew so much during the year that he was now taller than her by a few inches. He looked down to her and gave her a weak smile. For some reason, Minerva couldn't place it, Dmitri looked so…vulnerable. Perhaps he needed some time to think about.

They left the cabin together and headed down by the dock. Minerva didn't make any attempt for a conversation, which Dmitri liked. He was still thinking about everything that had happened that day. He felt bad for taking his anger out on his friend, but at the same time, it felt nice to hear his real name being spoken again. There wasn't a time at camp that he can remember when he was called Dmitri, except for when he did something bad, and even then, that was close to never.

Dmitri hated being called Percy. He felt weird…being nicknamed after a person that was twice as more powerful than he was. He was just a nine year old who took things way too seriously. Dmitri could never imagine himself taking a dip in the River Styx or killing Kronos. The real Percy Jackson had done so much for the new world. Dmitri didn't deserve his Percy Jackson's namesake. All the while, he'd gotten used to it. He never liked his real name because it had reminded him of his parents. Being called 'Percy' made him feel like a new person, despite the nickname was after one of the most powerful demigods he'd ever heard of.

Dmitri was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice that Minerva and he were at the dock. He almost fell in the water before Minerva saved him.

"Watch where you're going, hunny," Min said, "or else I won't save you next time." She winked, and then jumped in the water.

Dmitri watched her, and then smirked. As soon as she came up for a breath, he jumped on her. Minerva screamed and went underneath the water again.

"Watch where you're going, hunny," Dmitri mimicked, and stuck out his tongue, "Gosh. Didn't you know that swimming is dangerous?"

Minerva stared at her friend blankly. She was at a loss of words. Suddenly she grinned, "I'm going to get you, Dmitri." She tried to tackle him, but he dodged.

"Ya know that you don't have to call me Dmitri." Dmitri said, "I hate my name."

Minerva stopped and stared at her friend again. He's just filled with surprises today, isn't he? She thought.

"Percy?" She smiled, and he nodded.

"It's my nickname, why not?" He rolled his eyes and swam away from his friend. "Oh, by the way. I win."

)))))))))((((((

**Teehee, this is kind of a filler. I like it though!**

**Sorry for not updating for awhile...once again. School. **

**I'll try to get the next chapter up by next Sunday.**

**Review!**


	8. The Prophecy

"So I guess we're going on a quest, Cels?" Elisabeth asked. Thalia, Celia and Elisabeth were assigned for a quest. They all were assigned to find Phoebe and Opal. Thalia was in charge, of course. But at the moment, she wasn't speaking. She just stayed behind Elisabeth and Celia. The Lieutenant seemed to be in a deep thought. The three were walking up to Rachel, the Oracle, together.

Celia grunted, "Yeah. Guess so, if the Oracle tells us a prophecy." She looked at Elisabeth with a hopeful look, "Do you think…if we find Phoebe and Opal…that we'll find Annabeth and Percy?"

Juniper's words were still stuck in her mind. _They're all fine! _Were they really? Or had the dryad gone insane from being away from Grover so long? Celia couldn't figure it out.

She wished that Lark was there to guide her, she'd know what to do…what to say. She would always be so positive. Lark was her best friend before Elisabeth and Thalia had joined the Hunt. Before they went off to fight, Lark would always make the Hunters laugh and give them some reason to come back. She was aware of the danger that could come, but never let that fear get to her. Whenever Celia saw her, Lark was smiling. Always. She died in the Second Titan's War. When Celia found her, she was covered in blood. She looked terrible and gaunt. There was one thing that she had noticed, though. Lark died with a smile on her face. She was happy. Maybe that was the reason Celia rarely thought of her- she knew that Lark was happy and didn't die in vain. She fought like she always did- like her life depended on it. Celia admired her late best friend.

At the moment, though, it seemed as if Lark and all the others had died in vain. Kronos was rising. Everybody at camp was unprepared. Everything that people had fought for was for nothing. Celia felt useless.

"I don't know Celia," Elisabeth interrupted her thoughts. Celia looked at her, confused for a moment on what she was talking about. "Percy and Annabeth may not even be with Opal and Phoebe. If they are, then we can take the risk, right?"

Celia nodded numbly and looked back at Thalia. She hadn't said a word since Artemis had made the announcement. Thalia hadn't even made a complaint when she had learned that Elisabeth would be coming with them. She stayed back and said nothing. Her face was blank- showing no emotion.

Celia knew that she was beating herself up. Thalia blamed herself for Phoebe and Opal missing. She wanted to help her friend, but she had no idea how. Celia blamed herself as much as Thalia did. She had seen Kronos' shadow. She could've stopped him or something. But no, he had to take her sisters.

What was Kronos doing to them? Why did he take them? What the hell is going on and why?

She couldn't answer any of those questions.

Rachel's cabin seemed like it was miles away from the camp. Thalia couldn't stand it anymore. She just wanted everything to be over with. Thalia had lost her friends and family. Her brother Jason had been recruiting Roman demigods for years now. She knew that his job was dangerous, and she was often worried about him. But they had also gotten into a pretty nasty fight a while ago…before Percy and Annabeth had gone missing. Way before they'd gone missing. Jason and Thalia…well they weren't the best of friends and they weren't the worst of friends. They just were related. That's as close as they had gotten.

Thalia was filled with relief when they reached the cabin. It was this small wooden cabin in the middle of the woods. Apollo made it after Rachel was made Oracle. It was a forest green cabin that blended in with the surrounding trees. The door was hidden behind royal purple curtains. Thalia could tell that the cabin was made by Apollo. The roof was made out of weird shingles that looked like black musical notes. To summarize it, the cabin looked like it belonged to a crazy cat lady slash fortune teller.

"Why am I not surprised that Apollo would make this her cabin?" she mumbled to herself. Celia looked at her with a humorous expression but didn't say anything.

"Do you want to go in, Thalia?" Elisabeth asked.

"No," she muttered, but went inside anyway.

Inside, there were canvases of abstract art all over the walls rather than tons of cats meowing at her. The paintings made the inside look like an art museum. Near the back was another purple curtain. She walked to the back and opened the curtain. Behind it, there was a bed with a figure facing the one window in the entire cabin. Outside, there were little bluebirds playing.

"Rachel?" Thalia said.

Rachel sat up and looked behind her. Rachel's hair was graying now. Her skin had stress marks all over her face and arms. She must've been what… 40 now? Thalia didn't know.

"Long time no see, Thalia." Rachel smiled, only to reveal yellowing teeth.

Thalia was shocked by her appearance. The last time she saw Rachel, she was a 16 year old full of life. This person…it surely couldn't have been her. This person was a middle aged woman that looked way beyond her years.

"Yeah, I guess." Thalia scratched her arm nervously. She thought that receiving a prophecy thing would be easy and less awkward. But… "Uh, I came for a prophecy." Thalia felt ridiculous.

Thalia was about to leave and say that it was hopeless when Rachel went rigid. Her eyes turned a smoky green. When she spoke, it was doubled;

"_Three shall go south to the land where beyond control;  
>they shall track the ones who have been lost,<br>but then be tempted by the one who looks like the Hawk.  
>They will find what has been taken and bring it back,<br>two shall return before Solstice,  
>while the other shall be left trapped."<em>

Rachel closed her eyes and sucked in her breath. When she opened her eyes again, they were back to normal. She smiled falsely to Thalia.

"Do you know what just happened?" she asked Thalia, who shook her head 'no'. "Neither do I. Well, it was good to see you Thalia."

Thalia smiled and practically ran outside the cabin. It was way worse than the dusty attic.

She ran past Celia and Elisabeth and back to camp. She went to the first place she could think of- the water. She didn't know why, maybe it was just because she missed Sea-Brain way too much and kind of felt at ease. Her legs just took her there for some reason. She sat on the dock and took a deep breath.

_Two shall return before Solstice. _

Two? Why two? Why not all of them? What the heck did it mean when they go to the land where it is Lawless? She had way too many questions and too little time- they were set to go on a quest the next evening. Thalia knew that the next Solstice was in two weeks. Two weeks for a quest. She could do it in a week.

"Aunty Thalia?" a voice said. Thalia turned around and saw Minerva and Dmitri holding hands behind her.

"Hey Min, Dmitri," said Thalia. "What's up?" Thalia raised her eyebrows questionably at Minerva, who smiled and shook her head.

"We saw you over here looking all sad and wanted to see what was wrong." Dmitri said.

Thalia looked down at the water and crossed her legs

"Nothing's wrong," Thalia lied. She looked up at the boy and girl and smiled. "Everything's fine!"

"Aunty Thalia, I don't believe that for a second." Minerva let go off Dmitri's hand and crossed her arms. "You went to Rachel, didn't you?"

Thalia looked down at the dock again. She started playing with her long black hair before nodding, "Yeah."

"And? What happened?" Minerva said.

Thalia just shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it with anybody. All she needed was peace and quiet.

Minerva sucked her lip, "Was it that bad?"

Thalia didn't answer. The black haired girl turned around and looked at the water again. Minerva sighed, muttered something to Percy, and then left the dock alone to Thalia and her thoughts.

Thalia lay down and closed her eyes. Tons of words crammed into her mind until she had a headache. She must have laid there for an hour before she heard footsteps on the dock once again. Thalia opened her eyes and saw Celia and Elisabeth looking at her with worried eyes.

"What happened?" said Celia. She sat down next to her friend, with Elisabeth sitting on her other side.

Thalia told them about the prophecy and what had happened. By the time she was done, Celia looked even more worried.

"Two? What the…" she said.

The lieutenant nodded in agreement, "Yeah. That's what I thought. I'm worried, Celia. What's going to happen? Should we even go with three people?"

Celia bit her lip, "I don't know…maybe we shouldn't, but we have to go on this quest. We owe Phoebe and Opal. They're our sisters and we have to help them."

"I hope you know," Thalia looked at Celia and Elisabeth, "I'd die for all my Hunters to keep them safe."

"Same for you, Thalia," Elisabeth said, "And you, Celia."

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><p>Cue End of chapter!<p>

Sorry for the long wait, I've been really busy!

Hope you liked it, I did.

R&R [:


	9. Escapades

"Welcome Ms. Chase, Opal." Sinclair said. Phoebe turned around and gasped. It couldn't be…could it? Annabeth? Opal?

She could almost imagine seeing a much younger Annabeth standing nervously in front of Zeus all those years ago when Annabeth was young, full of life, and healthy. Now this girl was pale and tired looking. Her hair fell down in straight, white-blond wisps that framed her filthy face. Annabeth looked blankly above Sinclair's face and said nothing. She walking slowly to the seat beside Phoebe and said nothing. Opal followed behind her wordlessly. She didn't look at Phoebe once.

"Now, I'm pleased to see that you all are cheerful. I guess it must be my presence." Sinclair laughed at his supposed joke and winked at Phoebe, who suppressed a grimace. Nobody cracked smile. Sinclair raised a steaming pot of…something. It smelled like grass and rot, to be honest. "Tea?" he offered. When nobody said anything, Sinclair sighed loudly and poured the liquid into the small cup.

How could somebody drink something so foul? Phoebe thought, oh wait, it's because he's as putrid as that thing.

Sinclair's rambling about how everybody should be grateful to him and his service to the Titan Lord. It's true, apparently, that the Titan of Time has risen from Tartarus. And when Percy cut Kronos into little ashes, they were joined together by the time he reached Tartarus. The only thing that the Titan had to do was to find some way out of there. Thirty years later, Kronos escaped and trapped Hades, Persephone and Death in Tartarus to replace his presence. That way, he couldn't die when demigods were sure to find that he had risen. Sinclair went on to say how impossible it would be to fool Kronos' plan to take over not only the presence of Olympus in America, but in Greece- the true Olympus. Spending all that time in Tartarus can really get to your head, even if it was just 30 years.

"I wasn't going to do you any harm, Annabeth," Sinclair was saying. He was staring at Annabeth with that creepy look that he was giving Phoebe before, "I was simply saving you from the monster that Perseus is."

"Percy? A monster? You should get your morals straight, Sinclair," Annabeth snapped.

Sinclair set down his tea and sat forward, resting his elbows on the library desk in front of him. "The boy can turn into a hurricane in a second. He's killed many of my innocent men. He deserves as much torture as the boy can get. Which he's getting, or rather had. There's nothing more you can do now Ms. Chase," he said tauntingly.

Annabeth sat up straighter in her chair. Her brows were furrowed into large creases. Her eyes looked glassy, but no tears spilled over. Leave it to Annabeth to not cry. She never cried.

Phoebe knew that Annabeth had a young daughter and a boy that she and Percy took care of. The boy wasn't hers, but she had found him somewhere and taken him in. She couldn't remember what either of their names were, but knew that they were both very young. The last time Phoebe had seen them was when they were small infants. The Hunters had gone to the party with Thalia when the girl was born. Gods, what was her name? Matilda? Malinda? Something with an M. Phoebe didn't care, anyway. She just knew from the stricken look on Annabeth's face that she was beyond worried. About her husband. About her daughter. About her adopted son.

"- isn't that right Phoebe?" Sinclair said. Phoebe looked at him blankly. She didn't know that he was talking to her. Sinclair chuckled and took her silence for an answer. Idiot.

"You see, girls, you're nobodies without me. Phoebe, you're just a Hunter with no talent." Phoebe wanted to interrupt him, but decided against it. No point anyways. Sinclair already is a brainwashed…thing. "Opal, well, the only thing you're good at is running and planting weeds. That's not much, now, is it? And Annabeth, the only thing you're remembered for is being Percy Jackson's wife. You won't be remembered for fighting Kronos or leading your first quest to save Zeus's lightning bolt. You won't be remembered for anything but being a housewife. That is unless you join me and make yourselves worth remembering. You could go down in history books as the Demigods that avenged your parents."

"Oh, do tell. Why would we avenge our parents when all they've done was care for us?" Opal said cruelly. "My mother, Demeter, has always helped me out. Athena has helped both Phoebe and Annabeth. I've spent my whole life with a goddess and you're telling me to betray her for _fame_? Insulting us to join you. I just want to go home!" She spit and ran out the door. Phoebe and Annabeth ran after her. Sinclair let them all go. When the time was right, he knew that they would join him.

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><p>awk. Im so busy lately. Sorry for the late update!<p>

Review pleaseee!


	10. Back to Hunting

Hey guyss! Sorry again for the late update. I was struck by that awful disease...Brain freeze. But I present you with this...masterpiece. nah. but I'm proud of this. Review please!

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><p>The girls ran out the door and were hit by a gust of cold wind. They shivered, but continued running in the snow. It was hard to run—the snow was deep, but they managed. They ran to a nearby wood without any trouble. No guards were waiting to take them away. No bombs were set off to drive them away from leaving. No diversions—nothing. It was as if they hadn't even left.<p>

Annabeth looked back at the gray doors. They flew shut. Nothing came out of them… was this a trap? Annabeth didn't care. She was out! Five years of that hell, and all she had to do was run out. She felt like yelling happily. Instead she ran after Phoebe and Opal.

Opal continued running until she couldn't anymore. She threw herself to the snow-covered ground and began sobbing. Phoebe and Annabeth found her huddled in a little ball.

"I'll help her." Phoebe whispered to Annabeth. She nodded and sat down shivering. They weren't dressed properly to be in cold weather. Annabeth was wearing torn jeans and a thin long sleeve shirt. Phoebe and Opal were wearing jeans and a short sleeve shirt. If they were to live and avoid being frost bitten, then they had to find a place to rest. And fast.

Phoebe walked slowly to Opal's figure. She still hadn't stopped sobbing. Phoebe knelt down on her knees next to Opal and touched her back. Opal immediately sat up and glared at Phoebe.

"What?" she snapped. "H-haven't you d-done enough P-Phoebe?" Opal sucked in her breath and turned away from Phoebe and started crying again. Phoebe stood up and sat in front of Opal. Opal didn't meet her eyes. She had a scar forming under her eyes. It was fresh—maybe given to her a day or two ago. Phoebe didn't want to know how she got it. Bruises, large and small, spotted both her arms. Opal was beat…that's why she was so hostile.

Phoebe suddenly felt hopeless. They were out in the middle of nowhere, in the freezing cold, and they were all wounded. Phoebe sighed, "I'm sorry Opal. It's my fault we're here."

Opal met Phoebe's eyes. They were hard and cruel. "Yeah, it is your fault Phoebe. And I'm sorry to say this, but 'sorry' isn't going to make anything better. You know nothing about what happened there." Opal wiped away her remaining tears. "You know what they did to me, Phoebe? They tortured me until I told them where the Hunters were. I couldn't! Sinclair showed me all his tools. He told me you and everybody else was going to die if I didn't tell him where they were. You know what I was thinking? I'd rather die than have you all die. I was going to die. That's what I was thinking. Hell, we're still going to die." Tears were forming again in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "We need to leave these woods. They'll find us again."

_And kill us._

Annabeth was shivering and breathing heavily. Her lips were blue. She looked like she was about to pass out.

"Can we stay here and build a fire first? I need to warm up." Annabeth looked at Phoebe and Opal expectantly.

Opal shrugged, "I don't really know if that's a good idea. But I agree. We ran far from the prison. We'll build a fire, go hunting, eat, and then try to get out of the woods and find a better campsite. I'll try to grow some strawberries. They go good with anything. Fortunately, they'll die once we leave, so there will be no trace that we were here."

Annabeth nodded and muttered thanks. Phoebe was already out in the woods. Opal and Phoebe's bows returned once they were outside the prison, as they tended to call it now.

Ten minutes later, Phoebe came back to their campsite with a beaver, two squirrels, and a small doe. She looked excited to finally be hunting again.

"The only good thing about being here is they have stupid animals that are slow." She grinned and sat on a log to start skinning the animals. She set aside the meat near the fire, and the fur beside her. The fur would make great coats for later after they were cleaned.

Annabeth was still shivering, but not so much now that the fire was built. She sat in front of it and warmed her hands. Opal had grown mint, strawberries, and some other herb that Phoebe forgot the name of._ It's like ambrosia, but it doesn't kill you._ Opal showed Phoebe the plant a few months ago. It tasted like grass.

Phoebe laughed, she felt like her old self again. "We're going to have a gourmet dinner tonight girls!"

Opal gave a faint smile. "I wish. But we have to eat and leave quickly. We can't stay here all night. They could find us because of the smoke."

The meal went by quickly and silently. They melted the snow around them for water. It tasted like soot.

When she was done eating, Opal made a sack out of weeds the put the furs in. They extinguished the fire and headed north until they couldn't walk anymore. Opal, being a daughter of Demeter, had taken to leading their journey. She now knew where they were— somewhere in the Northwest Territories, according the tree nymphs. Their tracks were hidden by gusts of wind. Hopefully Kronos' minions wouldn't find them, and if they do, they would be stupid enough to not look up in the trees.

Opal grunted and stopped. "We're going to bed. Now. I can't stand walking anymore. Up in the trees, you two. They won't find us there." Opal had also taken on a bossy attitude…another feature from her mother.

Phoebe and Annabeth didn't disagree with her. Phoebe climbed easily up the tree. Opal tossed her the beaver fur for something that would keep her warm that night. Annabeth, however, took a while to get up the tree beside it. It took five minutes before she could get up.

"Jeez. I feel like an old woman," she muttered. Phoebe giggled softly.

"You're anything but an old woman Mrs. Jackson," Phoebe whispered.

"Oh, please. Just call me Annabeth."

Phoebe laughed, "Of course."

"Go to sleep!" Opal hissed.

Annabeth and Phoebe groaned, but fell asleep almost immediately.


	11. The New Flower

Grover returned to Camp with a grim face and a cane. His shaggy hair was below his shoulders. His eyes drooped in wrinkles and tiredness. He wore a purple shirt that was faded and filthy. Chiron came trotting towards him with a worried look on his face, but Grover waved him off.

"No success, Chiron. Annabeth escaped with Phoebe and that Opal girl. I don't know where they are now."

Chiron nodded at the satyr, "And Percy?"

"He's weak. I'm weak. Sinclair's torturing him now…I can feel it vaguely. I think Percy's giving up. Sooner or later, Sinclair's going to find his Achilles spot…and…and he's going to die. And so am I. There's nothing that I can do. I just need to find Juniper. If I'm going to die soon, I want to spend my last moments with her."

Tears flooded in Chiron's eyes. Grover is so mature compared to the Battle in Manhattan. He wasn't assigned a mission to find Percy and Annabeth—Grover went on his own record. Chiron was still filled in by him from time to time; never face to face, though. They had been contacting by Iris messages.

"Thalia's here, by the way," Was all Chiron could say before embracing the satyr. Grover hesitated before returning the hug.

When they let go, Grover sniffed, "Thank you Chiron. You're the best teacher I've ever had."

Chiron smiled grimly, "You're the best satyr I've ever taught, Grover. Come," he touched Grover's shoulder and guided him away from the barriers, "Thalia's in the Zeus cabin. She wanted to say good-bye to him before she left for her quest. You ought to say goodbye, too."

The satyr nodded and let Chiron lead him to the cabin without a word.

When they got there, Grover turned around and gave Chiron a real hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't get them back."

"I lose heroes every day. They're not the first ones," Chiron said softly. He didn't want to sound bitter.

Grover let go and looked Chiron in the eyes. "Goodbye Chiron."

He turned and wobbled in the cabin.

"Goodbye Grover," Chiron whispered.

)))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((

"Thalia?" Grover's voice echoed throughout the room.

The girl in black turned around. When she saw the satyr, she ran to him and gave him a crushing hug.

"I can't believe you're back." Thalia said, "I had so many dreams…I thought you were dead."

"Almost…but not quite," Grover bleated.

Thalia let go of the satyr with a worried expression, "Where are they?"

Grover sighed and tried straightening out his rag of a shirt. "Annabeth escaped. They're in Nebraska. The Hunters and her, I mean."

Thalia smiled, "Oh thank goodness—they're safe."

"Yeah."

Thalia cocked her head, "What about Percy?"

Grover went back to playing with his shirt.

"No…no." Thalia backed up and shook her head. "Is he dead?"

"No, Thalia."

"Then…?"

"He's about to, though. Sinclair, Kronos' crony, is torturing him now. And he's weakening. And so am I. I came here to say goodbye." No sense in leaving out the facts. He's getting worse by the second.

"Oh, Grover…" Thalia sniffed and hugged her old friend. "You've been amazing."

Grover forced a smiled, "Thank you, thank you." He bowed stiffly, and then straightened up.

Thalia laughed and let go. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Neither did I; Thalia Grace."

Thalia scowled at her name, "Oh, Grover. You're impossible."

The satyr frowned, "Thanks, Thals."

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

"By the way, you'll always be pine cone head to me."

"And you'll always be an enchilada obsessed goat."

Grover bleated to add measure, "Satyr."

Thalia grinned, "Of course."

Grover's eyes darkened, "I ought to go, Thalia. I need to say goodbye to Juniper."

For a moment, Grover seemed like he was going to make it. Like he was going to live, and Thalia and Grover would still continue being friends, and they'll be friends forever. For a moment…everything seemed like it was back to normal. Now, Thalia saw that it wasn't the same. Times were changing. For god's sake, _she _was changing. She won't be the same again.

"Grover, you're one of my best friends…"

Grover shakily raised his hand, "Thalia, please. You are my best friend. Finding you, Luke, and Annabeth was one of the best things I've done. I've watched you grow from that wild girl to a beautiful Hunter. Even when you were a tree, I watched you… Oh, Dionysus, I sound like a stalker." Thalia snickered at that. "You're an amazing person, Thalia. I'm so glad I had the chance to meet you."

Thalia sniffed again, "Way to be sentimental." She couldn't help the tears that were flowing down her face, now.

Grover pulled her into a hug, "Oh don't cry you bloody demigod."

"I can't help it when I'm losing my best friend."

"Then I'll try to become the most beautiful flower you've ever seen." He tried letting go, but Thalia didn't let him go.

"I have to go, Thalia."

She sighed, and let go. She took him in—from his shaggy hair and matted legs. From his torn shirt, to his fully grown horns. He looked so old now. Just a few years ago, he had been so full of life…just a few years ago, everyone was happy. Just a few years ago, Thalia, Annabeth, Percy and Grover were out eating at the Mexican restaurant on 5th street. He ordered cheese enchiladas, of course. A very pregnant Annabeth ordered nachos and shared with Percy. He had given her a kiss when she got cheese on her mouth. She had slapped him lightly. Thalia had laughed and taken a bite of her taco. Thalia remembered everything that happened that day, because it was the day that Minerva was born. Just a few years ago, Thalia thought that everything was going to stay normal. And that they would always be able to be together.

"Αντίο, γενναία υπέρμαχοι." Thalia bowed her head, and made the gesture that Grover had shown her so many years ago- a three fingered claw over her heart and pushed it outward. Grover didn't deserve evil anymore.

"Hey, stay strong kid."

Thalia smiled, "I will."

Grover kissed her cheek, "Goodbye."

Grover wobbled out of the cabin, tears streaming down, leaving the girl in black to her thoughts once again.

)))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((

"GROVER! YOU'RE BACK!"

Grover sighed and embraced the dryad, "I've missed you, Jun."

"Oh, come, come! Sit down! You look terrible, Grover!" Juniper tsk'd and took his hand and led him to her flower. They sat down crossed legged across from each other.

"How have you been, Jun?"

"Worried sick about you." Juniper smiled, "But now I'm great, now that you're here."

Grover smiled with her and took her tiny hands, "It's so great to see you."

Juniper noticed the sad tone in his voice. "What's wrong, Grover?"

Grover sucked in his breath and scooted next to her. "Juniper, Percy's dying. Right now…right at this moment."

"Oh no…"

"Our empathy link never broke, Juniper."

Juniper looked at him with wide eyes. She looked panicked. Grover understood exactly how she felt…

"So you're dying." She said softly.

Grover nodded sadly.

"Oh…Grover," it was the same exact words that Thalia had said. Grover felt tears stream down his face…again. Today was a rotten day.

"I want to spend it with you." He turned and gave her a small kiss on the lips. Juniper deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around him gently. Grover looked so frail; she didn't want to break him.

"I'd do the same for you, Grover." She whispered when they broke apart.

"I love you, Jun."

"I love you, too, Grover."

"Stay with me?"

Juniper squeezed his hands, "Always."

The couple stayed together until the moon raised high in the sky. They didn't say anything to each other—they just enjoyed each other's company for the last time. Eventually, she fell asleep. He gave her one last kiss on the forehead, "Goodbye, my sweet Juniper."

When Juniper awoke, she found a violet lily specked with white.

"Rest in Happiness, Grover."


	12. Nightmares

**Hey guys! **

**This chapter is iffy, and more of a filler than anything. But it's important to the story, so.**

**Please review! The next chapter will be up by Sunday!**

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><p>Minerva couldn't sleep. She refused to—especially after the nightmares that night. She envied Percy, who was still sleeping soundly in his cabin.<p>

Because here she was, hiding in the closet on the upstairs floor in the Athena cabin, alone to her thoughts. Flashes of her dreams kept invading her vision whenever she blinked. She couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.

Her father was being whipped. He was in a round room. It was maroon—it had no windows. All over the walls were different weapons- swords, spears, shackles. The room was dark, and lit by candles that emitted very little light.

A man was holding a Makhaira, some sort of curved sword, and hitting Minerva's father with it. He kept wincing. Bleeding. Her father was bruised all over his body. His hands were tied behind his back by rope. He wore nothing but ripped shorts and worn sandals. His hair that had once been black was now all gray. It matched that small streak of gray that had always been in covering his face. The crazy man kept laughing—a guy with bronze skin, black hair and one arm. His eyes were the color of gold that had just been taken out of the Hephaestus forges. Bright yellow and orange. You know, very medieval and such. This guy had no imagination.

The man stopped whipping him and asked him a question, "Where are they?" He demanded. The man's eyes shined evilly in the candlelight.

"I don't know!" her father yelled. He was whipped again with the Makhaira.

"Yes you do," the man hissed. "That's why they escaped. YOU!"

"I-"

"Enough of your excuses!" The man yelled. He walked behind her father, grinning when he came to his back. "Nakamara told me where your Achilles spot was, you know. I just didn't have to heart to kill a hero like you back then, Perseus Jackson. But now times have changed. You're not a hero anymore."

Her father's eyes widened for a second, and then his face changed into that emotionless expression like before.

The man sheathed the sword in his pocket and ran his hand down her father's back. He stopped at the small of his back and poked it. Her father winced.

"Right there?"

Her father didn't answer.

The man smirked and took his hand off her father, "SINCLAIR!"

Another man, a bald guy with a gray goatee and dark green eyes, came strolling in. He was wearing a black pinstripe suit and shiny black shoes. He held no weapons in his hands. Minerva didn't know who he was, but she could tell that he was a threat. She hated him.

The man, Sinclair, bowed before the other man. "My Lord."

The man grunted, "You know what to do." He left the room.

Sinclair smiled wickedly, "Hello Mr. Jackson." He took the nearest sword off, and took the man's former place.

"Any last words?" He grinned as her father took a deep breath.

"Just hurry it up, already."

"Gladly."

The man plunged the sword into her father's back.

Her father screamed in agony as Sinclair took the sword out and wiped off the blood.

Her father's blood dripped onto the floor in little pools. Sinclair left it there.

Minerva woke up in a cold sweat. She was still in the closet, huddled up in a ball, in Athena's cabin. She didn't even remember falling asleep.

_I just saw my father's death._

She stood up and brushed off her skirt. The night before, she had gone to bed without changing. Percy had made a fuss. Minerva didn't care.

_I had just seen my father's death._

Minerva walked out of the closet and tip-toed down the stairs from the upstairs floor. All the Athena campers were still sleeping. She crept out the cabin and sprinted towards the woods. The moon was full, and the stars were shimmering brightly. Usually, Minerva would admire it. But now, they were just balls of fire grinning down at her - mocking her.

_Anywhere but here, please! _

Minerva ended up at Zeus's Fist. A shaded place away from the stars. Away from the camp that had once housed her father.

_My father is dead._

She hurled herself beside the rocks and started sobbing. Minerva hated being a child of the gods. She hated being stuck in the camp. She hated her parents for going away. She hated the people who took them. She hated the dreams she had. She hated not being able to see her parents. She hated those who had the chance to meet her parents—who _knew _them, when she didn't even know what they looked like now. Once upon a time, Minerva had been an innocent little girl with loving parents and a brother. After Grover took them to Camp when her parents were taken, all her innocence was morphed into this hardness that even Minerva couldn't explain.

She wasn't herself.

She hated it.

Minerva stayed there, sobbing, for the rest of the night.

_Because I had just seen my father killed._

"I lost somebody too, Minerva Jackson," a voice whispered from behind her. She turned around and saw a young girl in a green chiton and sandals. Her amber hair fell in small waves. She looked like she was crying, because chlorophyll filled her eyes.

"Hi Juniper," croaked Minerva. She wiped her tears away and hugged her legs. "Why are you here?"

Juniper laughed, "I live here." She took a seat beside Minerva, who scooted away.

"Oh."

The wood nymph sighed sadly, "You can't be tough every minute of the day, Minerva. Sometimes you have to let your guard down."

Minerva looked at Juniper, "My father's dead."

"I know," Juniper sniffed.

Anger flashed through Minerva's eyes, "How can you know? You're just a juniper plant!" she snapped.

Juniper glared at Minerva, "Because Grover is dead, too. That's how I know, Minerva Jackson."

Minerva softened a bit, "Oh." At least Juniper knew what she was feeling—anger, resentment, sadness.

Juniper was everybody's friend. Sure, not everyone visited her- she rarely left the forest now. But every camper at Camp Half-Blood knew of her. Juniper was one of the wisest wood nymphs there. She had empathy for those who visited her, because she _felt _what they were feeling. Minerva rarely visited her, though, because she knew more about her parents than she did. Minerva felt jealousy towards her, a feeling she rarely felt towards people, and she hated it.

"Minerva," said Juniper, "Thalia, Elisabeth and Celia are going to rescue your mother."

Minerva looked at the wood nymph curiously. Weren't they going to rescue Phoebe and Opal?

"And then Annabeth will be with you."

Minerva gasped. Her mother was alive! "M-mom's alive?"

Juniper nodded and smiled warmly, "She's coming back with Thalia."

Minerva grinned and rested her head against the mossy rocks with a blissful look. Her mother was alive. She'll be coming back. She'll have a family again with Percy! Oh, this is fantastic. The news made Minerva forget about her dream, despite how drastic it was, because she was filled with hope.

Minerva whispered, "I have to go with them." She needed to see her mother again. She needed to be genuinely happy again.

Juniper clucked her tongue, "Now, do you really think that that is wise?"

Minerva giggled and shook her head, "No. But it's what I have to do."

The wood nymph laughed; Minerva was so much like her father—impulsive, stubborn, loyal, and a little sweetheart.

"Minerva, now, how are you going to do that?" Juniper looked at the girl, who now had a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"I'll take Blackjack." She decided. "Me and P-I mean, Dmitri will go. We'll follow Thalia and the others, and then I can see my mother!" Minerva stood up and smiled toothily.

Juniper stood up, too. "Go on, then, Minerva. They're leaving in an hour."

Minerva gave Juniper a hug and ran off.

Juniper sighed, "Be safe, little Minerva."

She walked over to the purple lily and sat next to it. She turned into green mist and returned home.


	13. Lambda

Elisabeth was falling.

_People were screaming. Children were hiding behind their parents as she fell. Cars were strewn on the sidewalk smoldering. Everything was in slow motion. Her mother was saying in a droning voice, "It's _your_ entire_ _fault, Elisabeth."_

No, no…this can't be happening again.

_She kept repeating it and repeating it. Slowly, she crept out from behind their crushed car. Her mother was limping. She was getting closer to her…smiling creepily._

_"You have to set everything back to balance, my daughter. My death was not in vain. That _scar _on your face was not given in vain. Balance."_

Elisabeth woke up sweating. Her dream had finished. A wretched dream that had happened to her ever since the accident—that dream that was a reminder of what had happened before becoming a Hunter.

It was five months and a year ago. Elisabeth, her mother and her step-father were heading to Camp Half-Blood before the summer. She had been going there for two years. It was like her second home, though she only stuck her Hephaestus siblings and the twins from Cabin 1. Her mother, a young woman with long brunette hair and gray eyes, was driving down the dirt road to Camp when all of a sudden, some monster comes out. It had the front of a horse and the back of a rooster. Her mother swerved and hit the barb wire fence on the side of the dirt road. Her step-father's screams were as loud as her mother's.

But the monster didn't stop there. It climbed with stealth agility to the top of the car and hoofed it. It kept screeching. The roof was starting to cave. The Camp was about 10 miles away….Elisabeth had no way to get out of the now smoldering car. Sooner or later, more monsters would come.

"Elisabeth." Her mom croaked from the front seat. Her brown hair was sizzling. Her eyes were closed. She wasn't moving.

Elisabeth tried getting up, but was stuck by her seatbelt. She unbuckled it and then kneeled down. She wasn't wounded, though her face hurt a lot. "Yes mother?"

"Get out." She made a move to turn her head, but winced and turned back around.

Elisabeth hesitated, "Without you and Will?"

Her step-father wasn't moving. His head was bleeding slightly, and his breath was rasping. If she didn't take him out of the car soon, he would die.

But her mother shook her head, "No. Leave us."

Elisabeth hesitated again. How could she leave her mother and Will? Then she sighed…there wasn't anything she could do. It wasn't like she had a phone to call 911.

"I love you, mama." She never called her mother 'mama' anymore.

The monster roared and jumped to the front of the car. Elisabeth looked up and noticed a hole that it had created just big enough for her to wriggle through. Back then, she was a petite girl that was 14. She had the ability to climb up the lava rock wall in under 1 minute. It was easy for her to crawl through small areas. And thank gods, that ability saved her life.

For after she climbed out of the car and jumped down, the inferno started to crackle and in any second, it would explode.

Elisabeth ran from the car and the monster.

The monster caught up.

She fought.

The monster lost.

Her mother and Will were dead. And it was her fault.

It wasn't until she got to the Camp that she noticed the Lambda scar over her left eye.

That was the day that changed her life. Her mother and step father was dead. She arrived at camp, only to run away a month later. Artemis found her as a filthy, scared girl with only a sword as a weapon in the middle of nowhere. Artemis offered her a spot in the Hunters, and she obviously accepted. She trained, and trained. She loved being a Hunter. Heck, she still does.

Yeah, she loves being a Hunter, except for the fact that she might die during the quest.

"Elisabeth! It's time to go!"

Elisabeth woke up the bright blue eyes of Celia. She was wide awake, even though it was probably 5 in the morning. Most of her dark blonde hair fell in wisps around her face, and the rest was pulled into a ponytail. She was leaning over Celia with a big grin on her face. Obviously, Celia was excited. However, Elisabeth wasn't. Beside her, Thalia stood with her arms crossed and a bored expression plastered on her face. Both Celia and Thalia wore jeans, army boots, gray sweatshirts, and backpacks. They looked like they were going sailing rather than going on a quest.

Elisabeth knew that she should get up, but Elisabeth didn't want to get out of her bed.

She grunted and turned around.

Celia sighed exasperatedly, "We have to leave for the quest NOW!"

"I don't wanna." Elisabeth said to her pillow.

Thalia grunted and smacked Elisabeth upside the head.

She yelled and sat up while rubbing her head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

Thalia laughed bitterly and crossed her arms again, "For not getting up. We have to go now. Mrs. O'Leary is getting impatient. If by luck, we'll be back here with Annabeth, Phoebe and Opal within two days to a week. You can sleep then. Now get up!" Thalia hit her again and stalked out of the Artemis cabin.

Elisabeth stopped rubbing her head and looked at Celia. Celia shrugged and mouthed, "I'll tell you later," and motioned the Hunters around them.

The rest of the Hunters were starting to awake. Most of them were yawning and sitting up. The rest were still sleeping.

Celia looked in her pack and threw Elisabeth identical clothes to hers and Thalia's, and also a backpack.

"Put them on. They'll keep you warm. It's chilly outside." She smirked and followed Thalia.

Elisabeth giggled quietly. They had an inside joke, "It's chilly in Chili but the chilies in Chili are not chilly." They said that whenever it was cold outside.

Well, at least Celia has some humor left inside of her.

Elisabeth got dressed in the jeans and sweatshirt. They were both _hot _to be in. She was surprised, really. It must be some warming spell that the Hecate cabin put on them or something. After having a wrestling match with the stupid boots, she finally was dressed, and she walked out of the cabin.

Celia and Thalia were having a quiet conversation that stopped when she came out.

"Let's get going!" Elisabeth said cheerfully.

This time, Thalia rolled her eyes and groaned.

Great. This was going to be a long week.

**And so the quest begins. I'll be able to update weekly now that the play is over! Review please!**

**-Vikki**


	14. Voldemort and Heartbreak

"Phoebe?"

Phoebe sat up and looked at Annabeth, "Yes?"

"My heart hurts." Annabeth clutched her heart and looked worriedly at Phoebe, "It feels empty."

Phoebe cocked her head to the side and sucked on her lip, "What's wrong?"

"I have no idea," Annabeth said while shaking her head. "It's just…I feel bad for leaving Percy back there. He could be dead for all we know by now."

Phoebe nodded, "I understand."

Annabeth breathed in the morning air, looked down and muttered, "Y'know, truth be told, I don't think I would've ever escaped if it weren't for you and Opal. I spent five years there. Five years without my daughter, Minerva, and my step son, Dmitri. My cell was beside Percy, but we couldn't communicate."

Anger flared in Phoebe's face. How could somebody take apart a family? Wasn't the whole reason for Kronos' second uprising was to 'help' unclaimed demigods have a family? Why tear it apart? When Phoebe voiced her thoughts, Annabeth shook her head.

"It's more than just stupid Kronos. All the First Ones are getting stronger. It started with Kronos, then Gaia. The one who captured you guys? Didn't you say that he was tan and he was missing an arm? I think that that's Perses. He's the Titan of Destruction. Kronos loves him almost as much as he loves Sinclair."

Phoebe snorted.

"Hah, I know it sounds ridiculous." Annabeth giggled.

"He needs to get off our asses." Phoebe muttered.

"Course he does, but do you really think that Kronos, All Mighty Lord of Time is going to do that?"

"Nope; he'll never realize that he's not wanted." Annabeth smirked. This conversation was ridiculous.

Suddenly, thunder clapped and it began raining. Phoebe screamed and backed even more against her tree. Annabeth took a breath of the icy air, again. It was her first rainfall in five years.

Phoebe laughed nervously and looked up. "Maybe we shouldn't make fun of the 'Almighty Ones', as they call themselves."

Annabeth nodded. "You sound like a true daughter of Athena," she said sarcastically.

The two agreed to call the Titans by their older names, Uranides, but Phoebe insisted- Those-who-shouldn't-be-named-because-they're-wannabe-gods. Annabeth disagreed, saying that it sounded too Voldemort-esque.

"What's Voldemort?" Phoebe asked.

"The villain from the Harry Potter who wanted to kill muggle-born wizards," Annabeth said exasperatedly.

"Oh." Phoebe looked down. "What's Harry Potter?"

"A series about wizards," Annabeth said calmly.

"Is it real?" Phoebe said excitedly. She grinned happily and looked at Annabeth expectedly.

"It's possible, Phoebe." Annabeth shifted. She wanted to get out of the tree and exercise her tired limbs. The heavy rained just stopped and the animals were starting to wake up. "Can we get down now? I'm getting tree cramps."

She looked down and noticed Opal tending to the fire below. It was odorless and smokeless. Annabeth wondered vaguely how she had done that.

"Yeah, I think so. Opal's down there now, so I guess." Phoebe muttered and began climbing down. She was down within seconds.

Annabeth grumbled about how unfair it was and took her time getting down. A branch almost broke and she cursed, "I'M NEVER LIVING IN A TREE AGAIN!" Opal and Phoebe looked up at her and snickered.

"I heard that!" She yelled down. The Hunters stopped snickering. Phoebe went off to hunt and Opal continued tending to her fire.

Annabeth finally got down from the wretched tree and walked towards the fire. It was a typical fire; it just didn't have any smoke or odor. Annabeth cocked her head, trying to figure that out. How was that possible?

Opal must have seen Annabeth's confusion, because she smiled and said, "Mum taught me a way to make smokeless fire. I didn't exactly think of it last night. But hey, I was tired. I woke up and remembered it. It's not permanent; it only lasts for an hour. I've had this sucker up for 15 minutes. When it burns out, we're going to head that way," she pointed to the clearing where Phoebe went hunting, "and hopefully we'll find a highway, or at least some sort of civilization. If we come across a lake, I'm going to try and emergency IM the camp. Bloody Uranides took my entire drachma. Don't know why they did, they're Uranides. They have no use for drachma. But anyways,"

"GUYS! GUESS WHAT I FOUND!" Phoebe's voice came loudly from the clearing. Annabeth and Opal winced. Sure, they were far from the prison, but with Phoebe raising her voice like that, the monsters that were sure to hunting them would now be on their track. Great.

Nonetheless, the two replied softer, "What did you find, Phoebe?"

Phoebe emerged with yet another venison carcass and a huge smile on her face. "Stag and a river. Oh, and I think that these are our drachma?" She held up a dirty velvet bag. "Girls, I think we're going to be going home."

But then, a growl ripped through the forest.

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee. This chapter makes me happy.<strong>

Revieww!

-Vikki


	15. Home

They met in the forest; all girls—six of them. Three came on the friendliest hellhound that went by the name of Mrs. O'Leary. Three escaped from the Titan's prison. They were all old friends. The blond and the black haired one knew each other from times' past. The others had worked aside each other for years, even centuries. The three with the hellhound had expected something less than a flameless campfire and three wounded girls. Perhaps they hadn't even expected anything. But that's what they got- a reunion- and it was a joyous reunion.

However, they were met by unexpected visitors—two young boys that were identical. Each had dark brown eyes and brown hair. They were both tan, and they both wore white togas embedded with gold. They stood beside each other. The one on the left was holding a greyhound, which had a gold hawk perched on its head. The boys had to be at least 12.

"Hello," they said together, "We are the Lares."

"But you can call me Pliny," the one holding the greyhound said. "You can call my brother Augustus."

Augustus glared at his brother, and then faced the girls with a sweet smile, "Call me Gus."

Thalia spoke first, "Why are you here?" The Lieutenant knew that the Lares were not any trouble. They were caretakers; protectors of the land. That didn't necessarily mean that it was good for the Lares to be within the girls' vicinity, though.

Pliny said, "Why, you're in our land. We've housed these three girls," he nodded towards Phoebe, Opal and Annabeth, "for 2 nights now. Of course, we didn't mind. They were captives of the Titans. They needed a home, and that's what we usually do. But now there are six of you, and my brother, Gale and I are here to tell you that you must get out quickly."

"We'll let you stay one more day to rest," Augustus picked up after Pliny, "but for a price."

Celia, Elisabeth and Thalia looked at each other worriedly. They knew exactly where this was going. It was part of the prophecy, _two shall return before Solstice, while the other shall be left trapped._

One of them wasn't going to come back. They couldn't be any more anxious.

"We want one of you," Pliny said. Annabeth opened her mouth, but the boy shook his head. "Not the prisoners, no. We want one of you." He looked at the three Huntresses, Celia, Elisabeth and Thalia. Thalia suppressed a groan. Of course they would want them. They were the ones trying to rescue their friends, after all.

Thalia cleared her throat, "And if we refuse? We could easily go home with Mrs. O'Leary. We," she waved between she and her friends, "don't need to stay here any longer."

Pliny laughed bitterly, "And let our hospitality go to waste? You are a funny one, Lieutenant of Diana's Huntresses. Alas, we cannot let all six of you go. War is brewing, and we need people that are good with the bow. We need to protect our land."

Thalia cocked her head curiously, "You two are fighting in the war?"

This time, Augustus laughed, "It's the last war of the gods. It'd be mighty fun."

Gale, the greyhound, barked in agreement, his black eyes shimmering. If Thalia didn't know better, she'd say that Gale was smiling.

To Thalia's surprise, Celia spoke up, "I'll stay."

The Lares grinned, "We'd like that," they said together, "Celia Gleidhill, daughter of Apollo, god of the Sun."

_They really like to drag on people's names, _Thalia thought bitterly as she watched Celia walk over to the Lares. Thalia saw Elisabeth looking worriedly at her out of the corner of her eye. When she caught her eye, Elisabeth looked away. Thalia bit her lip. She knew that she should do something, but what?

"We'll give you an hour to say goodbye to your friends, Celia Gleidhill," Pliny said, "Have fun."

Pliny and Augustus crept back into the forest. Gale the greyhound and his gold hawk friend stayed and watched them under watchful eyes, as if they would run away with Mrs. O'Leary. He stuck his head up and snorted and walked to the edge of the forest and continued watching them.

"I'd swear, he's some kind of human," Phoebe muttered to Annabeth, who laughed quietly.

"That eagle doesn't make it any better," Annabeth whispered.

They looked at the dog and could've sworn that he was giving them a death glare, which brought them into a fit of giggles.

"Goodness, I feel like I'm 12 again," Annabeth said and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Is that a bad thing?" Phoebe asked.

"No, but it's nostalgic." Annabeth smiled and walked over to a worried Thalia. She was sitting on the ground in front of the fire. Her head was bent down and she was biting her lip. She seemed interested in the hem of her sweatshirt. "Hey Thalia," Annabeth said quietly. Thalia didn't answer. Well, it wasn't like Annabeth hadn't expected that. Annabeth sat down beside Thalia and rubbed her back.

Thalia stiffened, "Sorry," she muttered, "I didn't hear you." Thalia rested her head against Annabeth's shoulder. She was cold. "You're freezing, Annabeth."

Annabeth shivered. "I'm fine," she lied. "It's you I'm worried about."

Thalia took her head off Annabeth's should and looked at the fire thoughtfully. She swore that she could almost see the outline of a young girl dancing with the flames. "She's one of my best Hunters besides Phoebe and Delany and Victoria."

Annabeth had no idea who Delany and Victoria were. "Who?"

Oh right, Annabeth didn't know who the newer Hunters were. She was looking at Elisabeth skeptically before. "They joined the day you went missing," Thalia muttered guiltily. She didn't know why she felt guilty. For some reason, it just seemed…odd. Annabeth was back. She was alive. But she was also the weakest that Thalia had seen her. She had so many bruises and cuts all over her body. Her wrists and ankles were swollen and red, but they looked as if they were healing. Not only was she physically wounded, but mentally. She had gone through so much, and she was still as naïve as a small child. She didn't know how to care for her daughter or adopted son. She didn't have a home to go to anymore. Annabeth only knew how to fend for herself…after all, she survived five years in the Titan's prison and she had fended for herself when she ran away from her home when she was six. Thalia felt guilty because she had watched Minerva grow. She had been the one who told Minerva and Percy bedtime stories whenever the Hunters visited Camp. Annabeth was simply Minerva's birth mother, and it would take a long time to change that.

"Do they have godly parents?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia nodded, "Yes. They're twins of Hebe."

"Hm. Never heard of that," Annabeth said.

"Yeah," Thalia laughed, "You should see the cabin. There are about 3. They make the Camp's ambrosia and nectar."

"Because Hebe is the cupbearer to the gods?"

Thalia shrugged, "I don't know. I just know that they're great athletes for daughters of Hebe."

Annabeth smiled, "Must be the Hunter's greatest Lieutenant as their trainer."

"Oh, stop." Thalia shoved Annabeth lightly and laughed. "I've missed you so much Little Miss Studious."

"I've missed you too, Pine Cone Head." Annabeth smiled and shoved Thalia back.

Thalia bit her lip. Annabeth couldn't know about Percy, could she? She seemed so happy. Well, who couldn't be happy after seeing their friend that you haven't seen in years? Still, Annabeth didn't know. Thalia could tell. But should she tell her or let Chiron tell her? No, she couldn't let that happen. Annabeth had to find out now.

"Annabeth? I need to tell you something." Annabeth looked alarmed at the sad tone in Thalia's voice. Of course she was. Just because she was an 'adult' now didn't mean she still wasn't a child.

Thalia took a deep breath. "Grover died two days ago." Thalia left it at that. She hoped that Annabeth would figure out the rest.

Tears filled her eyes in realization, "And Percy?"

Thalia shook her head, "The link never broke, Annabeth. He's gone."

Annabeth was paling. She looked like she was going to pass out. She started shivering uncontrollably. This couldn't be happening…Percy was alive! He had to be! He's invincible. Maybe Grover just died because of age. Yeah, that was it. Grover was old for a goat. Wasn't he? Annabeth couldn't remember. Thalia was lying…if Annabeth had to go back to the prison, Percy would be sleeping beside her cell like always. Percy was fine. He had to be.

"You're lying," Annabeth whispered bitterly.

"Annabeth…"

"STOP LYING TO ME!" Annabeth yelled. "I just want to go home. Is that so hard to ask, Thalia?"

Home…but where is home? A nice warm fluffy bed with loads of soft pillows and warm blankets sounded amazing. Not to mention a cup of hot cocoa or the camp's fresh hot apple cider. One night of peace and quiet, that was home.

"You'll be home in half an hour."

Annabeth nodded, "Fine."

Thalia sighed and got up. She had to say good-bye to Celia, who was talking calmly to Elisabeth, Phoebe and Opal. Her blond hair was swept to the side and she had weeds sticking out. And for some reason, the silvery glow that glowed around every Hunter was now a faint bronze. Celia wasn't a Hunter anymore. Thalia couldn't save her. All she could say was goodbye.

"Celia?" Thalia croaked, and then covered it up with a cough.

Celia stopped talking to her friends and looked at Thalia. Celia knew what she was thinking, but Celia knew the consequences as soon as she offered to go with the Lares. It wasn't permanent, anyways. She knew that much, but she wouldn't tell Thalia that. She wouldn't be doing her job as a Lieutenant all the way, just like when Annabeth and Percy went missing.

Celia couldn't help but smile, "I thought you'd never say goodbye, Li."

Thalia shrugged, "I had catching up to do with Annabeth before I could say, uh, goodbye to you."

Celia nodded and looked at Annabeth, who still hadn't left her seat in front of the fire. She could see tears running down her face slowly. Thalia told her about Percy, apparently.

Celia shrugged it off and attacked Thalia with a hug, ignoring seeing her best friend's life flash before her eyes. "You're one of my best friends, Li. I'm gonna miss you so much, Kiwi."

Thalia scowled, "Kiwi is disgusting."

Celia let go and grinned, "You love it."

"I obviously love eating those seeds and disgusting fruit that make your tongue fussy." Thalia made a face and shivered. "If I was the only person in the world and kiwi was the only food, I'd rather starve."

Celia raised her eyebrows and smirked, "Uh-huh."

"I don't like you very much right now, Cels."

Celia shrugged, "I get that a lot."

Thalia laughed, "I'm just kidding. I'll miss you too." Thalia pulled Celia into a hug again.

"Curse Apollo," Celia muttered when Thalia let her go, "I'm so dizzy."

Thalia pursed her lips, "Oops, I forgot."

Celia shrugged again, "It's all good. I'm getting used to it."

"Finally!" Thalia exclaimed.

Elisabeth, Phoebe and Opal stood around Celia and Thalia.

"Psst," Phoebe whispered, "We could easily escape now since we have Mrs. O'Leary. The Lares aren't here, and I think the dog went to take his special duties."

Phoebe winked. They checked to see if the greyhound was gone, and of course, it was.

"But the Lares…" Celia tried to say, but Phoebe cut her off.

"Who cares about them? Don't you want to go home?"

Celia couldn't help but nod. She knew it was wrong. The Lares would haunt her until she returned, wouldn't they? After all, she had volunteered to go with them and she wasn't a Hunter anymore.

"You guys go. I've said my goodbyes. It's time you go home now," Celia said. "This," she gestured to the forest surrounding her, "this is my home now."

Tears were welling up in everybody's eyes, Celia couldn't take it. She turned away, "I love you all, but I have to do this. I'm not a Hunter anymore."

And so the five girls left. There were tears and laughs and more tears. The visitors took the daughter of Apollo away, and the rest returned home to Camp Half-Blood on the hellhound called Mrs. O'Leary.

"Home is not where you live, but where they understand you."


	16. Staying

"Percy?" Minerva asked softly.

Dmitri sat up and looked at his sister, "Yes?"

"I want to go with Thalia on her quest."

Dmitri leaned his back against the wall, "How?"

"Well, we could always take Blackjack. I heard that they're in Nebraska. Blackjack loves us and he'd do anything for us." Minerva walked over to Dmitri's bed, she sat and he scooted over. She took his hands and said, "If they find anything special, I want to be there. I have to!"

Dmitri looked over his friend, who was looking at him. He noticed tearstains that were dried up. Her blue-gray eyes were big and teary. She was so pale; Dmitri knew that there was something wrong with her.

"What's wrong, Minerva?"

When Minerva didn't answer immediately, Dmitri squeezed her hands gently. She looked dazed, but quickly came out of her trance with a jerk of her head. There was a knock on the door and Minerva went to answer it. She didn't want to answer Dmitri, and she never got the chance. For at the door was a smug-faced Chiron.

"Hello, Chiron?" Minerva said nervously. Dmitri gave her a quizzical look that she missed.

Chiron smiled warmly, "Hello Minerva and Percy."

Minerva and Dmitri greeted him and invited him inside; however, he refused and told them he had to tell them something very important.

"You two have to come with me immediately. Something happened, and I need you to come to me to the rec room." He then backed away from their cabin and motioned them to come with him.

Minerva and Dmitri were alarmed, but nevertheless, they followed the centaur to the rec room. Chiron hesitated slightly before opening the door to the room to let them in, never straying from their side. The first thing they saw was the faces of the camp counselors and Nico di Angelo, their uncle. Behind Nico were the Hunters, all of them except for one, Celia. Though Minerva was confused, she couldn't help but smile when she saw Thalia, Elisabeth, Phoebe, and Annabeth and Opal standing excitedly and talking with each other. Wait a second…Annabeth?

Minerva hesitated, looking at Chiron. Chiron smiled and put his arm around the young girl. "Go on Minerva. Your mom's been waiting for you for a while." He gave Minerva a little shove, since she seemed to be stuck in her spot. Annabeth didn't seem fazed at all by Minerva's hesitation. Her gray eyes shined with the familiar sparkle, and her smile was gentle. She understood why her daughter would be hesitant, especially after she'd been in the prison. Annabeth beckoned her daughter forward.

"M-mom?" Minerva whispered, barely audible. She looked from Chiron to Dmitri, who looked just as shocked as she felt, and then to Annabeth. Annabeth smiled warmly and nodded. Minerva had tears streaming from her eyes as she walked forward and hesitantly hugged her Mother. "The gods finally listened to me, mommy. They brought you home."

Annabeth's eyes started watering up, "I'm so sorry I had to leave you baby." She squeezed her daughter tightly as Minerva gave another sob. "I'm here, shh." Annabeth kissed Minerva's blond hair. By now, everybody, including Dmitri and Chiron were in tears. Happy tears.

Minerva let go and looked at her mother, "I'm glad at least some of our family is back together." She smiled and took her by the hand. "Dmitri missed you too, even if he hasn't admitted it."

Annabeth smiled, but said nothing. Minerva led her mother to a scrawny little boy with black unruly hair. His face was speckled with freckles and his bright green eyes shined brightly. He hid behind Nico, who had come in while Minerva and Annabeth were being reunited. Nico smiled at Annabeth and stepped aside. Dmitri blushed and tried to back away. Unfortunately, he was facing his sister Minerva's wrath, and Minerva wasn't letting her brother get away that easily. Minerva let go of her mother's hand and shoved Dmitri into Annabeth's arms. There weren't any lovey dovey stuff with Annabeth and Percy, but it made the crowd, which consisted of former Campers and the Hunters, cry like overgrown babies.

There was a party after that. Minerva thought it was fun, though she doesn't remember what happened clearly. She spent the night plastered to her Mother's side, though. She felt that if she left her side again, she'd never see her again. For real this time.

Annabeth must have noticed this because, at the end of the party, she leaned down and said, "I'm not going to leave this time, Minerva."

Minerva smiled guiltily, showing the two missing front teeth. "I just got you back. I don't want you to go away again." Even though Minerva was eleven, she felt like she was six around her mother. Minerva knew that her mother didn't _want _to be taken away. Heck, for the past five years, she'd dealt with the grief one goes through when a loved one dies. Now that her _mother _is alive, and breathing and warm and holding her hand? It just seems too amazing to be true. There were already bruises forming from when she had pinched herself too hard.

Still, there was her mother's bright, smiling face saying to her that she'll never leave her again.

Minerva walked back to the Poseidon cabin in a daze. She felt it best that she was with Dmitri for the night. He was already in the cabin when she came inside. They spent the night crying over memories that were past, and more memories that were to come.

Minerva, however, missed that sad look Annabeth gave her daughter when she was leaving. Minerva looked so much like her husband, Percy Jackson, and herself…it blew her away. Annabeth wondered what had happened to her while she was gone.

Nico placed a scarred hand on Annabeth's shoulder, "She's a fighter, Annabeth."

Annabeth looked at him and smiled, "Well, she's my kid. Course she is."

Nico frowned, "You miss him, don't you?"

"Yeah," Annabeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He shouldn't have gone the way he did."

"You'll get through it, though." It was a statement, not a question, but Annabeth nodded anyway.

"I'll have to for Minerva."

"It's good to have you back, Annabeth."

Annabeth opened her eyes and looked at Nico, "It's good to be back."

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><p><strong>Sorry it took so long to update! I had a momentary brain lapse. So I've decided that there will only be a couple more chapters left. <strong>

**till next time!**

**Please review! it'd make me reallllyyy happy!**

**-vikki.**


	17. TickTock

The next day was unusually hot. Campers were just waking up and either going to breakfast or heading to their daily activities. The sky was so clear that there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Everybody was taking advantage of this bright and beautiful day. It was too beautiful to be tired. Everybody was excited for the day except for Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the Oracle of the camp.

She knew something was wrong as soon as she woke up and saw the writings on her bedroom wall. The drawings and writings told of something bad…terrible…and then great that Rachel _knew _would happen. As soon as she woke up and saw the pictures, she went immediately to get Chiron.

As usual, the Campers knew that something was up. Rachel does leave her small cabin often, but they only see her rushing to the Big House during terrible circumstances—like when she has visions.

Rachel entered the Big House at **seven o'clock** in a daze. Her legs always carried her faster than she thought possible. Rachel paused to catch her breath, and then began to look for Chiron.

"Chiron!" She yelled. She shivered as her voice echoed throughout the building. "Chiron! It's an emergency!" No answer. "Well, this is fabulous…" she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath, "CH-"

"Whoa, there. I'm here!" Chiron said, laughing. His face turned solemn, though, when he saw Rachel's teary-eyed face. "What happened, Rachel?"

Rachel ran and embraced the centaur. "Oh, Chiron," she cried into his chest, "It's not what _has _happened. It's what _will _happen."

Rachel let go of Chiron and looked at Chiron with stricken eyes. Her lip quivered as if she were about to burst into tears again.

"Come," Chiron said soothingly, "Tell me what will happen."

* * *

><p>Albert Sinclair was having trouble sitting in his chair. In front of him sat all his masters, from Queen Gaia to Lord Kronos to Lord Perses. Each of his Masters looked at him with speculating and cruel eyes. He had just proposed his Plan. It was perfect! How could his masters not like it?<p>

"When shall we place this plan of yours, Sinclair?" Prometheus said. He seemed to be thoughtful. His eyes gleamed in with lust and anticipation. This was his chance to _finally _have revenge on 'Lord' Zeus. He mentally flinched, thinking of those awful years being tortured by the vultures. All because of fire. _FIRE. _Prometheus will always loathe Zeus for what he was put through.

"Today," Sinclair said, "This afternoon at exactly 12 pm. We'll have exactly **four hours and ten minutes**." Suddenly, every Titan and god started chattering away. From what Sinclair could tell, they were all excited, but skeptical. He grinned.

"ENOUGH!" Queen Gaia's voice rang throughout the room. Sinclair suppressed a shiver—he would never get used to the Queen's powerful and ancient voice. Gaia used to remind Sinclair of a dryad—beautiful, but unable to be touched. Every Titan and god and human turned their attention to the Queen. She looked at all her children and grandchildren. "We shall vote on Sinclair's proposition. Those who approve, raise your hands." Every hand went up except for Epimetheus. The Queen regarded the titan of Afterthought with a glare, raised her hand and said, "Then it is decided—Sinclair's plan shall go into action. Perses, Kronos, Iapetus, Prometheus and I shall go to the Palace. Sinclair," the Queen turned her glare onto Sinclair, "You shall lead your own army. Choose well." She clapped her hands. "Council is over. You may leave now." Everybody in the room started leaving. "Except you, Epimetheus. I must talk to you. You must stay here."

* * *

><p>Minerva woke up scared and confused, but she wasn't sure why. If it was a dream, she didn't remember it. She wanted to see her mother. Badly. Minerva turned over and saw Percy sleeping peacefully on the floor in his sleeping bag, with a little bit of drool coming out of his mouth. Usually, Minerva would've taken out her camera snapped a picture of it and put it on the Camp's blog. Just for a laugh. Who doesn't like funny pictures? This time, however, it wasn't funny to Minerva. She didn't know why, it was a gut feeling deep within her, but she felt like she needed to curl up with her Mother far, far away from Camp Half –Blood.<p>

"NO! NO!" Percy was murmuring. He kept turning over in his sleep. Minerva jumped out of her bed and crouched next to him. Before she could touch him, he muttered, "There's too much fire…"

Minerva shook Percy. She felt like crying. Why did she feel so scared? "Percy, it's time to wake up. It's **nine o'clock**. We have to go get breakfast."

Percy opened his eyes and sat up so fast that he almost hit Min, but she moved out of the way. She giggled. "C'mon, Perce, let's go get breakfast."

Percy shrugged and went to get dressed. Minerva did the same. When they were both ready, they went to the Dining Hall. Before they walked in, Minerva hesitated and went past the Dining Hall and sat on a nearby bench. She gestured for Percy to sit next to her. When he did, she said, "Percy? I'm worried."

Percy scrunched his eyebrows together, "What's wrong?"

Minerva hesitated again, "I- I don't know. I'm having one of those gut feelings again. I feel—I feel like we should get as many people as we can and get out."

Percy was suddenly reminded of his conversation with Min a few weeks ago. _There will be another war_, he had said. Percy sighed. "A gut feeling, you said?" Minerva nodded. "After breakfast, we'll talk to Chiron. You have to tell him absolutely _everything._"

He had started to get up when Minerva said, "Before you woke up today, you said something about fire in your sleep. What was your dream about?"

Percy looked Minerva in the eyes, "That Camp won't be safe anymore. That there will no longer be Paradise for demigods."

Breakfast that day went by slowly.

* * *

><p>Artemis wasn't usually one to be tired. After all, she <em>was <em>a goddess. Today, however, the goddess felt exhausted, and she knew that it wasn't from her nightly run with the Moon. As soon as she came within the barrier of Camp Half-Blood, she knew that something was wrong. She and her Hunters were supposed to leave that day. However, something made the goddess feel obliged to stay…at least until the next day. It was now **ten o'clock **and Artemis was sent by her Father to meet her at Olympus.

She arrived flustered and collected. Her Father, Zeus, sat in his throne. He, too, looked flustered. Artemis knelt in front of her father, "Father, you have requested me here."

Zeus nodded, "Indeed. Rise, my daughter. We have important things to discuss."

Artemis stood and said, "What is that, Father?"

Zeus rubbed his temple, and it was then that Artemis fully took in her Father's appearance. Artemis had seen Lord Zeus look old only twice. The first time was post- Trojan War. The second time was today. Zeus usually looked like a young business man—one with a short, black beard and piercing blue eyes. He was always neat looking and proper. Today, Zeus' suit was wrinkled, unkempt and filthy. His blue eyes showed nothing but fear, and his beard was graying. He still had his powerful aura, mind you. He looked like he was fading, though.

Zeus didn't answer for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes. "The Titans are returning to power. Epimetheus has informed me that Gaia and Kronos have joined forces and will attack Olympus at 12pm."

Artemis suddenly understood Zeus' appearance. "You want me to fight with you, Father?"

Zeus nodded, "I do not want to battle, but if it is needed, than I shall need your assistance."

Artemis bowed her head, "I shall do anything that you ask, Father."

"You may leave now, daughter."

* * *

><p>Elisabeth, Thalia, and Victoria had decided to take a walk around Camp. Since they were Hunters, they did not have to attend any of the classes. Sometimes, they decided that they would help the campers that weren't so great at archery. It was a laughable experience.<p>

"I can't stand archery!" a girl named Domino yelled. Thalia laughed and helped the thirteen year old Apollo girl with the bow.

"Stand straight, keep both eyes open." Thalia guided Domino through the steps. She'll never forget the squeals of joy the little girl emitted when she finally hit the target.

The girls stayed and helped the archery class for half an hour. It was **eleven thirty **when they left to go back to their cabin.

Elisabeth sat on her bed in a huff. "I want to visit Juniper again." Thalia rolled her eyes and muttered something about 'Whiny babies.' "Who wants to go with me?" Elisabeth smiled as Delany, Opal, and Phoebe stood up.

"I'm bored. I'll be glad to do anything," Phoebe said. Opal and Delany nodded.

"Victoria," Delany said. Victoria looked up from her book. "Do you want to come with us?"

Victoria shook her head, "No, I want to finish my book. I'm almost done with _Pride and Prejudice. _It's an amazing book!"

Delany shrugged, "Okay. Suit yourself." She looked at Elisabeth and smiled, "Let's go!"

Elisabeth was still trying to get used to hearing them talk. Both Victoria and Delany talked all the time. At first, it was unnerving—hearing the two sisters' talk for the first time. After a while, the Hunters got used to it. Just like they do to every strange thing.

The four girls were in the middle of the forest when the bombs went off at **twelve o'clock **and their world turned upside down.


	18. The End

_Two days later…_

I walk through the rubble, trying not to step on anything solid. Who knew- it could've been a body or a building. Dust and ash billows around me, making me cough. I have to look for survivors, but as far as I know, there are none. Everything in Camp Half-Blood is gone. There's nothing left but rubble and toxic dust. You know all of those Titans and gods that we used to pray and worship to so vigorously? Well, they've destroyed the only safe haven for demigods. I feel heat rising in my stomach. I'm so angry and sad and, and…_lonely.  
><em>  
>There's only Delany, Phoebe, Opal and I. We're the last ones. The last of what, you ask? The Hunters, demigods- everyone that I once knew and loved. They're all gone. The Titans destroyed the Roman Camp, also. There weren't any survivors from what we know. The Hunters were killed in the explosion. It's a wonder any of us are alive.<p>

"Elisabeth!" I turn around. Delany's supporting something that I can't see from here. For some reason, it's not covered and dust. I run towards Delany. As I get closer, I can see the figure close up. It's the little boy, Percy, I think. He's barely conscious and hardly supporting himself as he clings onto Delany. Other from the bruises and burns, he looks like he wasn't harmed at all. How is it possible for a little boy to survive an explosion _this big _and remain unharmed? So many people have died. And somehow he's still alive. Although, Percy looks like he's fading fast. His face is pale and clammy and his breath is ragged.

"Hi Elisabeth," he says weakly, but smiling. I give him a small smile and look to Delany.

"Is there any ambrosia?" I ask.  
>Delany shakes her head, "No, it got burned up in the explosion. I would ask Victoria, but," she choked, fighting the tears that were coming out. I understand what she meant, though. Victoria was the best ambrosia maker in the Hunters, and now she's gone. Delany found her in front of Hera's cabin, burned, charred and well, dead. Delany isn't exactly the best liar of the Hunters. You could always see her emotions, despite how hard she tries to hide them. She and Victoria did everything together. Nonetheless, Delany's doing better. At least she can say Victoria's name now without bursting into tears.<br>I nod, "Is there any way you could contact your mother or get Hermes?"

Hermes, for some miraculous reason, is the only god that's on our side. The only recognizable cabins are the Nike and the Hermes cabins. Yes, they were burned. Yes, I could see that the inside of the cabins were smoldering. No, they had not fallen over. Yet. Nike was the goddess of strength and personified victory. Hermes was the gods' own messenger. Maybe the demigods weren't alone in the world. Every other god's cabin are burned down, even my own father, except for Hermes and Nike. We haven't seen Nike yet. I don't think that we will anytime soon, either. That doesn't really matter, though.

All that matters now is survival. Delany, Percy, Phoebe, Opal and I are the only demigods left. Or at least...we're the only trained demigods in the world. We don't even have an Oracle anymore! Rachel died when the first bomb hit the camp. Apollo and Artemis and the rest of the gods besides Hermes and Nike aren't going to do anything. Well thank Hermes and Nike for fucking caring. Not even my own father will do anything. "I can't, daughter," he told me. He _won't_do anything, that's the problem. I could feel my face reddening. This is all too stressful. How are we supposed to deal with this? My old home had just been burned down. The Hunters... Thalia, Penny, Victoria... They're all dead. Artemis is in Tartarus. Chaos has taken over the world. There are only five demigods alive and one god and goddess. We can't do anything but accept our fate. We'll have to live as outcasts. We won't be able to blend in with the Yankees here in New York. We'll stick out like sore thumbs with our bows and arrows, even with the Mist.

"I'll get Opal. She can grow some of that herb that's like ambrosia." I sigh. I feel like Thalia. She always knew what to do. "But we have to get out of here. We'll go to the Roman Camp. If there are any survivors, we'll take them with us. After that, we're going to Athens. We need to get out of the West as soon as possible."

Delany nods, "Why Athens?"

"Why not go to the heart of the gods? We may as well start somewhere. Here," I gesture Artemis' smoldering cabin, "In America is not where we can start. It's where we've ended. The Protogenoi live in Athens. We can gather allies. Befriend unicorns, satyrs and pegasi. The more forest creatures we befriend, the safer we are. Penny, can you..." I look around, trying to find little 9 year old Penny. Penny with auburn hair and brown eyes. Penny who was the daughter of Cybele. She could talk to any animal. Translate anything in any language. She could run like a tigress and kill like a lion. Penny... who not 24 hours ago had been alive and making jokes with Thalia and Victoria. Penny...who is now dead. It doesn't sound right, even though it's true. "I…I mean, Phoebe and Opal can talk to the animals. I don't know how that will work…I don't even know if it will work. But Delany, we have to get out of America as soon as possible. Were there anymore survivors left in camp?"

Percy nods his head, "Yeah. A bunch of us went to the little hideout behind Zeus's fist. Delany only found me because I decided to walk out after the explosion." He held up his burned arm, "It hadn't exactly finished yet and I got burned." He shrugs. "I think that we should check the stocks, though." He looks from me to Delany, "The pegasi might be alive."

"I'll go," Delany says. "If I find anything, I'll call you." She holds up her cell-phone.

"Okay, be quick. Who knows what will happen if we're here too long."

Delany helps Percy walk, or rather stumble toward me and leaves us to go to the stalls in a fast jog.

"Elisabeth?" Percy says. I look up and he continues, "We cannot just stay here. There are twenty more people left in the hideout. We have to go get them."

"I agree. We can't leave them."

Percy grabs my hand and pulls me forward. Of course, being the klutz I am, I trip on something. I look down. It's a body of a person covered with dust. They still have their orange Half Blood shirt on and their necklace. It has six beads. Tears threaten to pour from my eyes, but I gulp and take deep breaths. Percy stops besides me and looks at the body. "Well, this sucks."

I nod and bend down, touching the beads. I feel a cold chill run down my back. Silently, I send a prayer up to…well, whoever is listening.

"We should keep going, Elisabeth. The kids may be getting restless. I told them not to come out until I came back, and I never got the chance."

"Yeah, we ought to go. Twenty people that are scared and impatient aren't a good mix."

Percy laughs, "Just you wait."

I take one look at Camp Half-Blood—taking in everything. The camp's old barriers that were once made of brick had fallen. I close my eyes.

I hear laughter, though there is silence.

I hear Chiron chucking as he teaches archery, even though he is long gone.

I hear Mr. D playing pinochle with Archy, his son. Archy is laughing mockingly at his father when he won. Archy always beat his father in pinochle. He was so kind to everybody. He's gone now.

I hear the commands of Thalia inside my head, telling me what to do.

_Open your eyes, twerp, and go find Celia. She's looking for you in San Fran._

Yup, that's definitely Thalia.

I turn around and look at my team of twenty. Percy and Minerva look at me with empty eyes. Diane, Vulcan, Paul, Savannah, Domino, Selene, Johnny, Vista, Cassie, Cameron, Luke, Travis, Zeke and Justin, the children that we rescued, are looking at me expectantly. Each of them is hungry and scared. Opal, Phoebe, and Delany, the last Hunters left, stand by my side. They each look at me with the same respect and courtesy that they gave Thalia.

"Elisabeth?" Domino says quietly. "Where do we go now?"

_Celia's looking for you. Think air rather than ground._

I sigh, and turn around and start walking off the hill. I turn around. Everybody's rooted to their spots. I smile and wave them to me.

"C'mon, guys. We're going San Francisco."

**THE END  
><strong>


	19. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey guys !

Thanks for reading the Hunter! It really means a lot to me.

I started this story thingy awhile ago (Like two years ago. Um.) and it really means a lot that you read it.

I know I've said this about a billion-gazillion times, but I'd really LOVE for you to review.

I may come back to the story and fill and add stuff to it.

I'm kind of debating whether there should be a sequel. I'm only debating that because I want people to actually read it.

Let me know in a review or a personal message!

Once again, thank you SO much for reading!

If you enjoyed it, review. If you didn't, review.

ONE LAST TIME:

Thank you SO much!

Hugs and kisses,

Vikki.


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